Stronger
by ALCzysz17
Summary: As Andrea had said so eloquently long ago, "The pain doesn't go away...you just make room for it." And that's exactly what Beth intended to do; she only hoped it would make her stronger in the end though. Bethyl (Mid-Season Cont.)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Stronger**

**Chapter 1**

She couldn't breath.

The air choked her throat as she ran as fast as she could force her legs to go. She kept telling herself to not look back, just keep going, don't look back. But she wanted too. It took everything in her to not turn around and look back at the destruction of her home, to see the chaos engulfing it. Her heart hurt more than just the lack of air, it bled on the inside from all the pain she was feeling. Tears welled in her eyes but she willed everything in her being to not cry, suck it up and keep going she repeated in her mind.

Just keep going.

She ached all over though, she ached in her joints, her skin, all over ached for various reasons that she wasn't even sure why only that they ached. It reminded her that she was still alive, still breathing albeit having difficulty at the moment but still part of the living. Though all the pain welling inside her chest could have fooled her, she felt dead on the inside.

Don't turn around.

Gravel was turning into grass, long grass. It brushed her jeans and wacked at her hips and arms as she ran. Time had no sense for her right now, she knew the sun was out and it was mid-day that was as far as she got in telling the time.

Don't stop.

Stopping was not an option not with all the walkers around heading towards the destruction and madness left behind her. Her lungs protested violently against her, she couldn't keep going like this but she knew she couldn't stop either. The tears still sitting in the corner of her eyes leaked over, her muscles quivered from the exertion of her running, her mouth watered and her heart just couldn't take anymore.

She couldn't take it anymore.

"Daryl stop!" Beth called out breathlessly almost collapsing as she suddenly halted. She bent over propping her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. Daryl whipped around turning to see her just about to keel over. He was breathing deeply too, his eyes grazed over her then their surroundings. He understood she needed to catch her breath, hell he did too but they couldn't stay here too long. They had barely put a dent in their escape from the prison.

"Beth…we gotta go." Daryl commented his sharp eyes taking in everything. She nodded but when she went to move from her kneeled over position she dropped her to knees as a sob took over her. The pain she had been trying to hold back slammed into her and she wasn't sure she could stop herself now. Her father's face appeared in her mind's eye and the last few seconds of his life played on choking whatever air she had gotten into her body out.

Her fingers dug into the grass and dirt as she bent over crying out her anguish. Her chest hurt much worse now and she wasn't sure it would ever be better. "Beth." She looked up through the tears blurring her vision to see Daryl looking just as upset as she was though he wasn't crying. It was his eyes; they looked so sad, so full of pain staring down at her. She noticed that his grip on his crossbow was deathly tight turning his knuckles white.

"He's gone Daryl! He's gone!" Beth cried out her shoulders shaking. He turned his eyes to the sky clenching them shut tight for a moment before boring his stare into her. He didn't know what to say to her, what could he possibly say to make this situation better for her? Nothing. Not a damn thing and that hurt him far more than anything else. She wasn't fragile he knew that, but she also wasn't tough as nails either.

"I know…" He voiced out. Beth shook her head looking about them in her misery.

"What do we do?" She asked in a tiny voice barely above a whisper and almost hindered by the thickness in her throat. He shrugged his shoulders feeling so useless and that didn't sit well with him.

"Fer the time bein' Beth we just gotta keep goin', ain't much we can do right now." She stared up at him with this helpless, lost look. It almost undid him, Daryl sucked in air deeply through his mouth giving out a hissing noise. Beth then nodded slowly pushing off of the ground to her unsteady feet.

"Okay…" She said brokenly. Daryl nodded once then they were off again. He tried not to run to fast or hard so he wouldn't lose her, she was all he had right now. The emotions from the day gathered in his chest weighing him down but he ignored it. It's what he did best, push aside the emotions to deal with another day, deal with the now first then that later.

Right now Daryl couldn't afford to feel anything, he has to be strong for Beth. She needs him with his head on right and he was going to make sure she got that of him. It was the least he could do.

Beth wasn't so sure she could keep running but Daryl kept the pace slower for her and it helped, not a lot but it was definitely better than before. As they ran in whatever direction he thought best she tried to put things into prospective for the time being. Her family is separated, blood and bonded. She may have Daryl with her which was a plus because if anyone could survive out here in the wilderness it was him, she only hoped that she didn't hold him back.

The prison is a lost cause and gone. There was no going back to get anything, it was just gone. They had nothing on them aside from his crossbow and hunter's knife attached to his hip as per-usual. She had dropped her rifle back at the prison since it was out of bullets, in hind sight she probably should have kept it if only to hit walkers with if need be. Beth also had a little pocket knife on her but that wouldn't do much damage. Damn, she should have kept a handgun on her or something.

They also had no food or water. Right now she could really go for some water.

All in all they were up shits creek without a paddle, struggling to stay afloat.

Beth bit down on her bottom lip to hold back another slam of anguish and tears. She needed to hold back her sorrow, she could break down soon when they had proper shelter then and only then would she allow herself to completely and utterly come apart. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would lose her father so soon and definitely not in the way she had. She tasted blood in her mouth as another flash of her father being killed ran through her mind. Then her sister's face came to her mind.

She wanted Maggie so bad it doubled her pain. She really could use a nice, warm hug right about now…

Daryl stopped short seeing the open field in front of them. There were trees gathered around the edges of the field and some scattered in but the grass wasn't as long here, actually it looked maintained and short. His eyes then spotted a flag. Beth staggered to his side bent over like before and hopefully not ready to ball her eyes out more. He didn't hear any sniffles or sobs just harsh breathing. "Where are we?" She managed to say.

"Golf course…" Daryl mumbled taking in the empty space. It worried him that he didn't see any walkers littering the area; he supposed they went towards the prison with all the noise but that didn't take away the eeriness of it. He felt more alert when the dead corpses weren't in sight than when they were.

"How far did we run?" Beth stood up straight taking in the area as well. "It's empty."

"Probably three miles at best. It may be empty but keep yer guard up." He then started off onto the golf course moving quickly across the grass. Beth was right on his heels peering around as they moved. He glanced at her to see that her hands were empty and that it didn't look like she had anything on her. Daryl felt a frown stretch his lips, he would have to fix that. Reaching down to his belt he pulled out his knife flipping it in his hand so he held the handle out to her.

"'ere take it, ya need somethang ta defend yerself wit'." Beth gulped before grasping the handle tightly. She gave him a tight smile then they were off again.

They had still yet to encounter any walkers and Daryl wasn't sure if that was a blessing in disguise or a bad omen. He hated uncertainty, he didn't like second guessing himself, he rarely did it but that didn't stop the doubts from ringing off in his ears. They got to the opposite side of the golf course seeing the country club towards their left, it was a short distance. He wasn't so sure they should enter it but, glancing back at Beth, he knew they needed water especially her.

"Watch yer back, we're headin' in." Beth gave him a wide eyed look.

"Are ya sure that's a good idea?" He sighed feeling doubt lingering around his mind. Was it a good idea? It was a fifty-fifty win-lose scenario but they really had no other choice. It was here or by pass it and find another building or home to ransack for supplies. The bigger the building the more hazards but that also means the less chance of it already being ransacked. More risk but hopefully a bigger pay out.

There was also the chance that there was nothing of use in there.

"We ain't got food or water Beth. We could try further out but after all that runnin' I thank we both need at least water." Daryl scratched his cheek as he spoke. A blast of wind came through them tossing hair and clothes around. Beth looked out to the empty field then to the country club looming ahead. She figured he had a point, he would know best seeing as he led many runs while she stayed inside taking care of Judith. Daryl's the expert, not her.

"Alright, let's do it."

"Stay on my heels, keep yer eyes peeled. Got me?" Beth nodded feeling fear licking at her insides. There was just too many emotions whirling around inside her, she didn't know which one to cling too. Sensing her fear Daryl placed his hand on her shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze. His warmth assured her more than the squeeze it left a lingering tingle through her shoulder to her gut.

"Gotcha."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Y**es I've jumped on the band wagon! This was just something that popped into my head as I was working out and it just wouldn't leave me alone. I really need to learn self-control with my writing, seriously. I know I usually do like a minimal of 3,000 words but I don't exactly have a plotline for this or any idea what I am doing for it (a disaster in the making) plus I am working on the final chapter to 'Five Kisses' and working on another short five chapter story asked of me by someone on the site. Not to mention 'Iris' so I got lots on my workload including my anime stories. Why do I do this to myself? Ugh.

Anywho let me know whatcha think! I decided to do a general 3rd POV for this one since it'll be about the both of them, and this is like slow burn times twenty! So don't expect much in the way of romance for a bit. It'll be well worth it though (I hope). Review please!

_**ALCzysz17**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Stronger**

**Chapter 2**

Daryl wanted to say more but he didn't know what he could say to make her feel better about this decision, even he wasn't entirely sure about it not that she needed to know that. He lifted his crossbow with both hands then they were off moving swiftly across the golf course getting a better view of the country club. It had been a pristine white at some point but now there were water and grass stains on the siding. Some of the bricks from the steps leading up to the wooden porch were chipped or broken away. He took in some of the broken glass from a few windows and the door leading in that was almost entirely made of glass.

He stopped at the door looking through it to see nothing but darkness inside along with a few shadows here and there. He didn't like it. Daryl turned to lean against the wall aside the door pointing to Beth to do the same; she picked up quick enough mirroring his position perfectly. He was glad she had her head still together, mostly. Looking to his side he reached up with an arrow tapping the large piece of glass still hanging by a thread, well it was till he tapped it.

The tap loosened it up and it broke off shattering upon impact with the ground. Daryl flinched at the noise while setting up his crossbow for the soon to be walkers coming their way. They waited for about a minute but nothing came racing out, there were no noises to indicate that there was anything living or non inside the country club. Beth watched his facial features then leaned around the edge to peek inside. She didn't see anything outstanding just a bunch of darkness.

"Let's go." Daryl commented stepping over the glass though it still crunched underneath his feet. Beth followed behind him closely with his knife poised to stab if need be. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the country club, there was some light in areas but it was mostly shrouded in shadows making it harder to discern anything. It did nothing to ease her jumbled nerves.

She kept right on Daryl though constantly looking around them. Beth was sure to have a kink in her neck by the end of the day from how fast she was whipping her head around to take everything in. They moved quietly enough as he led her through the big country club. There had to be a kitchen here, Daryl had never been to a golf course before he knew his father liked hitting golf balls in their backyard when he was younger, he remembered always being forced to go into the woods to get the damn balls.

Everything around them was a sign of higher living though the couches were dusty; tables like desks and pool table were water logged being closest to the broken windows. It looked like outdoor nature was slowly moving in, taking over what was once clean and part of inside. Daryl walked pass the staircase only briefly looking up them, the kitchen wouldn't be upstairs and he didn't want to venture too far into the place, they just needed food and water then they would find another place to settle down in.

The smaller the better.

They moved through an arched doorway where there were plenty of tables and chairs for dining. Daryl smirked seeing the disaster that had been the dining area, now it was nothing but broken, dirty tables and chairs some still standing up right and others knocked over by either walkers or storms. A tap on his shoulder brought him from his musings to Beth. She caught his eye then pointed to their left where a set of double doors were. He nodded heading that way.

Once through the doors he stopped to take in the kitchen. It was even more shrouded in shadows and the once shiny metal of the stoves were rusted over along with the counters that were dirty and dusty, it all gave off an eeriness. Beth looked around by his side taking in everything. There wasn't any sounds just silence to her ears but she stayed alert. Even though she had rarely been out of the prison she still remembered life on the road when Lori and T-Dog were still alive. And her Daddy…

That living though long ago was hard to push out of her and she supposed it was good that it hadn't. She had a better fighting chance of living at the very least.

Daryl rounded the middle island but there was nothing waiting to jump out at them, the kitchen wasn't that big but it had two stoves and tons of cabinets and counters. He noticed two fridges too, though he would be the one to check those. Last thing he needed was Beth getting nauseated from whatever's been rotting and baking inside the now hot fridges. He wasn't even all that excited to check them but there might be bottled water in there, he hoped.

"Check the cabinets but be quiet and alert." Beth nodded turning away from him as he slowly stocked over to the fridges. Good thing he had an empty stomach not to mention an iron stomach at that otherwise this would not end well.

Taking a deep breath Daryl opened the first fridge and almost keeled over from the stench. He heard coughing behind him so even Beth smelled it, it was that strong. Whatever food that had been left behind to rot had also molded over taking on a life form of its own. Daryl kept one hand to his nose in a weak attempt at shielding himself from the smell as he swiped some of the molding food around. Unfortunately he didn't find anything of use for them and quickly shut the door. He allowed himself a few seconds of breathing before preparing himself for the next fridge. From what he could see in the first one that had been mostly deserts, at least one of the moldy things looked like it had been cake at one point.

Daryl reached over to the next one bracing for the impact of horrendous smells. Upon opening that door he found that if he was slapped with the smells of the other one than this one was like a straight up sucker punch to the face, without even bothering to look he shut the door again gagging for air. Beth turned around cringing when she caught whiff of the smell hiding inside the fridge. She caught Daryl's eye over the island. "I ain't openin' that door 'gain." He stated sternly still trying to catch his breath.

Beth only nodded turning back around to her little bounty. She found some old cans though she couldn't really tell much of what they were; their labels were slightly decayed and illegible. She hoped they were edible though. She looked to the next cabinet opening it up and reaching to grab what she could, her fingers brushed something warm though and furry. Beth sharply hissed an intake of air jumping back into the island as a big ole rat jumped from the cabinet she had been searching. It hissed at her then landed on the ground to scurry away.

"I hate rats." She hissed out rubbing her hands up and down her arms to get rid of the goosebumps littering her skin. Daryl snorted opening a cabinet where she hadn't gotten to yet.

"Too bad, that coulda been dinner." She gave him a disgusted look with her nose scrunched up and her eyes squinted as she stuck her tongue out in distaste. He lightly smirked at the look before going back to the cabinet. Still no water which was very disappointing.

"Jus' pack whatever ya can in yer pockets, only what looks good tho." Beth nodded looking between the small few she had gathered. She managed to fit two cans in both pockets; she only hoped they could get a book bag or something later on. She felt clunky with the cans in her jean pockets but she would just have to bare it till they found some place to settle.

Just as they were leaving the kitchen though she noticed a set of double doors that were wooden, they looked like a pantry like her Mama had back home on the farm. "Daryl, look." Beth pointed to the doors. He followed her finger to them. "It looks like a pantry; ya know my Mama use to put bottled water in ours and only a few bottles in the fridge."

"A'right, I'll check." Daryl started over to it keeping his eyes peeled around him just in case. There was another door near the supposive pantry and the last thing he wanted was any surprises coming out of there. Beth kept the knife poised as she mirrored his steps behind him also wary of the mystery door.

He reached over to the small wooden handles and slowly pulled them open. It was hard to see anything in the darkness of the pantry but there was definitely food in there that he could make out. Daryl then patted himself down before locating a small key light he kept on his-self just in case. He flashed the light into the pantry seeing some food destroyed from the rats but there on the second shelf to the last was a case of water. Beth hummed happily as he walked into the pantry to get it.

The case had seen better days as everyone else in the country club; quite a few of the bottles were destroyed or had been bitten into making the water dirty. Only about three of them looked like they were safe to drink, only dusty from sitting there for about two years. Daryl handed one to Beth and screwed off the top of the other downing the water in seconds. She followed after him embracing the wonderful liquid as it ran down her throat. She really did need it, more than she realized.

"I'll keep this one in my back pocket, lets head on out." Daryl said as he pushed the last bottle in his butt pocket. Just as they were about to leave the kitchen they heard it.

Noises. More precisely moving feet, moving much faster than walkers. Frowning Daryl placed a hand on one of the double doors leading out into the dining area. He looked through it to see about three people walking around the area with guns poised for shooting. They didn't talk, just moved.

They were hunting.

Beth gripped her hand tightly to the knife as though it was a safety line, and really it pretty much was. It was the only thing that would help keep her safe from walkers and other humans aside from Daryl that is. The men she saw over his shoulder didn't look friendly, for all they knew those men could be part of the Governor's group still. Was he still alive? Beth was pretty sure he went down but then again she wasn't paying much attention to him after her Daddy…

She just hoped those men don't come their way. Daryl pulled back turning to look around the kitchen. There was a window above the counters but it was still intact and it didn't look like it opened more than a crack. Probably there just to let the smoke out. The only way out that he could see was the doors they came in by or the mystery door. Daryl glanced back at the dining area doors before grabbing Beth's arm and leading her towards the pantry.

He pointed at his eyes first then at her with two fingers then pointed towards the dining area doors. She nodded turning to watch the doors as he reached over to open the mystery door. It was a standard door knob leading him to believe that it didn't lead out of there; it could be a broom closet.

Daryl blinked at the darkness that greeted him, quickly he turned on his key light to see that it was actually stairs leading down, it was a basement. Really he'd rather not head further down into the country club but they didn't have a choice neither of them were in shape to fight plus there could be more men than just the three he saw. Daryl turned back to Beth making a small cough to gain her attention. She looked back at him to see he was pointing down into the unknown. She wasn't so sure about going down there but they didn't have many choices jumping out at them and saying 'pick me' so she followed him through the door.

Beth quickly shut the door behind her and eased her descent down into the basement with Daryl leading the way. His little key light didn't shine much or far in but it was better than walking around blindly. From the looks of it and unfortunately the smell of it this was where they kept most of the food like the meat. Beth cringed at the smell of uncooked, rotten meat; she also tried to not scream when she took notice in the abundance of rats scurrying on the floor. She just reached up grabbing the tail hem of Daryl's leather jacket to help guide her through.

The smell made her eyes water as she got closer to it. Beth quickly shook her head pulling back on his jacket; she did not want to get any closer to the smell! Daryl frowned at the tug on his jacket turning back to light up her face. She shook her head letting the tears that watered her eyes leak over. He didn't look much better than she did; if anything he looked much worse being closer to the smell. Leaning in close Daryl whispered to her, "Thair huntin' Beth, the closer we are ta the smell the better chance we have of 'em not findin' us. They will check down 'ere, 'specially when they see the cans we left on the counter."

Beth gave him an uneasy frown almost looking about to cry but she held back once more. She guessed she would be doing that a lot, holding down her emotions. "Okay." She managed to say weakly letting him lead her into the stench. Daryl pushed a crate that smelled worst than some of the walkers she had come across giving room for them to get behind it with the wall to their backs.

Beth went in first shooing away any rats that came near, that was another thing she was trying to not think about. Rats. She shivered at the thought squeezing her eyes shut tightly. Daryl came in beside her his crossbow at the ready and it was like someone told them upstairs that they had hidden and were ready to be seeked. Ready or not here they come, she thought fearfully keeping Daryl's knife close to her chest.

Daryl stayed low to the ground as light filled only the stairway and a little around it from the open door. Two men slowly stepped down to the basement floor. He watched them carefully seeing that they walked much like hunters do, like he does. They made hand signals with each other as they slowly searched the area. He crouched even lower placing a hand on Beth's shoulder to help ease her further down, he knew she didn't like this the rats alone creeped her out but a little discomfort went a long way to keeping them alive. Daryl held no doubts that these men were hunting them, there was no such thing as coincidences in this world any more.

They came in here for one purpose only, to hunt them. Now for what reason he couldn't figure out, there was a likely chance they had been a part of the Governor's group but as he took them in he quickly scratched that out. They were too smart, too cautious to be manipulated by that crazy bastard. Daryl had felt like he was being watched earlier as they ran but he thought that it was just because Beth was behind him and they were escaping a walker infested area, now though…

Them being here was proof enough for him and that sent a shiver of fear down his spine. Why were they being hunted? Clearly if they were being watched these men would know that neither he nor Beth had anything of value on them that these men could take. Another feeling came to him; dread lumped down in his gut as he looked to his right though he couldn't make Beth out in the darkness. Nowadays it wasn't above certain men to murder others even more so to rape the unwilling. The mere thought that that could be their intentions made Daryl want to stand up and shoot arrows into their heads.

He held back of course but the feeling still stayed with him. Being part of the female variety before the apocalypse was hard enough now during it was ten, no twenty times worse. Knowing what he knows Daryl stepped closer to Beth almost crowding over her in a way to hide her. She wasn't sure what was going on but let him do what he wanted, he knew best.

The men didn't search long luckily for them. They looked around closely enough but like Daryl had thought they stayed well away from the toxic smell of the rotting meat they hid behind. One of the men looked like he wanted to search further but the other one hissed at him then signaled that they were leaving. Once the door shut Beth tried to jump to her feet but with Daryl leaning over her she didn't get far.

She felt a hand on her lower back pressing her to stay down. She wanted to listen but the smell was starting to become too much. She squirmed and groaned before Daryl let up then stood. Beth guessed he was waiting for the men to truly be gone and it was a very good strategy but she was dying here and needed fresh air so badly. The blonde walked blindly from the crates till she could breathe semi-clean air, the smell made her want to vomit. 'Just think only two years ago I was a vegetarian and the small of cooked meat would make me barf. Funny how life changes so fast.' Beth mused as she breathed deeply.

Daryl followed her wanting clean air as much as she did. Watching the men helped him not think about the smell but what he was thinking about didn't exactly put him at ease either. Sadly in Beth's case they were going to have to sit down here for a few minutes just to be sure those men were gone for good. He wasn't going to rush out of here into their waiting arms if they were still up there. Being a hunter he knew quite a few strategies on catching prey and if one of them figures their down here then they'll wait for stairs for a bit to see if they scurry out.

"Can we please leave already?" Beth pleaded fanning her face thought that didn't do much to keep the nasty air away.

"Can't they could still be up thair. We jus' have ta hold out fer a bit longer." Daryl replied back turning on his little key light. "Why don't we look 'round, see what we can savage?" Unhappily she nodded following him around as they walked the area.

It wasn't a very big basement but there were tons of crates and also tons of rats. Beth literally glued herself to his side taking to gripping his jacket as they walked around the basement. So far there weren't any walkers down here, or dead bodies which was a plus considering the pitch black darkness surrounding them. A tug on his jacket brought his attention to Beth.

"There's a door." Beth pointed out, her keen eyes seeing much better in the dark than his. He was getting old apparently.

"Stay behind me and keep yer knife ready." Daryl instructed edging over to the almost invisible door right by the staircase. Like the pantry it looked like it could just be a small barely walk-in room, possibly where they kept non-perishables.

Grabbing the handle he came to find that it was harder to open, condensation dripping around the handle against the wooden door wrapping the wood. Daryl jiggled it a few times trying to loosen it up but it wouldn't give even pushing and pulling on the knob resulted in nothing but him grunting and straining. Growing aggravated he turned to Beth taking the knife from her hands handing her the small key light instead.

"Gotta pry it open." He said in way of explanation. Beth watched as Daryl lodged his knife in between the frame of the door which was stone and the turning mechanism of the door knob. He wiggled the knife a bit while turning the knob. A minute went by before he succeeded in getting the door to open.

"Oh God!" Beth moaned backing up fast from the smell of the room. She tripped over her own feet landing on her butt and causing a commotion with the rats walking around. Daryl brought his free hand to cover his mouth at the smell, it was worse than the rotting meat crates.

"Shit, smells like somethang died in 'ere." He commented airily walking over to help Beth up. She took his hand gratefully coming to her feet fast and switching off the light for the knife.

"Do we have to look in there?" She asked worriedly, usually smelling dead flesh meant dead bodies or walkers. Regardless she wasn't so keen on going near that door but seeing the look in Daryl's eyes she knew they were going to check anyway.

"Got ta." He simply stated. Beth groaned bringing her hand to cover her mouth and nose, it wouldn't do much but it was the thought that counted.

Daryl walked through first with his crossbow ready and the key light in his other hand. The room was smaller than the other and it was full of wine. A wine cellar for the rich golfers, of course. Daryl rolled his eyes seeing that a few bottles had shattered on the ground making the floor wet and sticky. The smell got worse the further they got in and that's when he spotted them. Three clearly dead bodies huddled in the corner just pass the wine racks. Beth gasped then coughed from the smell opting to stay back as Daryl investigated the bodies.

From the looks of it they had been down here for years, probably when all of this shit went down he mused. It looked like a small family, father and mother with child. The smaller body of the child looked as though it had died around eight years old more or less. Leaning closer much to his displeasure of the smell he saw that the child had a backpack on it that was something they would need. Daryl didn't want to desecrate their bodies but the backpack would come in handy for food and such. His eyes then took in a small handgun still gripped in the father's hand, now that would be even handier. He frowned when he ended up breaking a few fingers to get the gun but he had no choice, his eyes then set on the backpack.

Beth coughed when Daryl pulled the backpack off the child breaking both of its arms in the process and bringing up decayed dust into the air. She stepped even further back not wanting to breathe in dead skin cells. "Ah!" She screamed out falling to the ground as something attached itself to her ankle. Daryl turned around fast with backpack in toll to see a walker stuck between two fallen wine racks. It reached out for Beth further keeping a steady hold on her ankle as it tried to pull its skinny, decaying body out from under the wine racks. Daryl lifted his crossbow up and released an arrow watching as it stuck right into the walkers head effectively killing it.

"Ya a'right?" He then asked as he dropped down to release her from its dead grip. This was probably the walker that bit the three in the corner; they had also killed themselves with the handgun. Beth lifted her elbow wincing when she noticed how scrapped up it was. He snatched up his arrow wrenching it out of the dead walkers head.

"I'll live." She responded back checking over the rest of herself for minor injuries, she cringed when she heard the sickening pop of his arrow exiting. Her stomach grumbled uncomfortably. Daryl sighed in relief of the close call before helping her up once more.

"'ere keep this on ya." He handed her the backpack though she didn't really want to touch it after being on a dead person, she forced herself to get over it though. Unzipping it she found a few coloring books inside and other kids things that made her heart ache. Her thoughts then went to Judith, was she okay? Was she even alive? God she hoped so. Beth held her breath before walking over to the dead bodies placing the coloring books on the floor then the toys around the small child's body.

Daryl watched her do that for a second then checked the gun, it only held seven bullets with three already used up. It would have to be used as a last resort. Beth came back to him putting the cans of food into the pack and surprising Daryl by yanking the water bottle out of his butt pocket. He jumped at the unexpected pull looking at her with surprise on his face; she smiled sheepishly dropping the bottle into the backpack. "Sorry." She mumbled.

"Let's go." They headed out of the room closing the door behind them though it didn't click shut from his earlier lock picking.

Daryl stopped at the top of the stairs leaning his ear against the door. He didn't hear anything on the other side, it was silent from the sounds of it but he was nervous about opening the door. He did not want to encounter those men; his eyes glanced down to Beth. They couldn't stay down here forever though, the smell was starting to really make him sick and that took a lot. Sighing in defeat he reached the knob and turned it slowly edging the door open little by little to gauge if someone was waiting for them or not.

Once the door was cracked open enough he poked his head out to take in the empty kitchen, even the cans on the counter were left untouched. It was like those men never showed up at all. That only told him more that they were hunting them, not savaging for food. Cautiously he pushed the door the rest of the way open walking a few steps up with Beth behind him. Daryl came up to the double doors peeking through a crack to see the dining area empty as well. He nodded his head to Beth and she crossed over to the forgotten cans setting them into the pack then putting it on her back.

They left the kitchen then going through the dining area and out the front door of the country club. Beth looked around them but there were no signs of the men they had seen earlier, it was like they up and disappeared. She turned to see Daryl searching the ground and wooded areas around the country club to locate those men but nothing popped up. She bit her lip, this was not good she noticed how those men moved and searched. Her eyes turned to her redneck companion.

She only ever seen Daryl move like that, those men knew what they were doing and that scared her because it looked like they were looking for them. She didn't have the foggiest thought as to why, but the fact reminded that they were looking for them, could possibly be looking for the rest of their group. An unsettling feeling pitted down into her gut as she thought of her sister, Rick, Carl, Sasha, and Tyreese. The kids she had gotten to know so well from Woodbury and once more baby Judith. Michonne was another person she worried for though not nearly as much, that woman was a force to be reckoned with.

"Those men were huntin' us." Daryl finally stated eyeing her over to see how she would react to that. Beth just nodded showing her worry through her eyes and nibbled lip.

"Why though? We have nothin' for them." He only shook his head turning to the glaring sun over head. It would be setting in a few hours by then they needed to find a place to settle down in for the night. A very secure place and as far from here as possible.

"Ain't got a clue ta that. It could be fer a number of risens, right now tho we jus' need ta git. Find a place fer the night." Beth mumbled out, "Okay," then they were off once more.

She hoped everyone was alright, that everything would be alright. There was so much that could go wrong, that has gone wrong and she wasn't sure she could handle it. It wasn't so long ago that she had stated so blandly to Daryl that she didn't cry anymore, what a bull-faced lie that turned out to be. Right now all she wanted to do was cry her eyes out, break down to the ground and pour her aching heart out. But she couldn't afford to do that, though it didn't seem like it Daryl needed her to be strong at least for now.

And she wanted to be strong, she had to be. It wasn't a choice anymore and if she wasn't then she would die simple as that. Beth rolled her eyes to the sky as she remembered what she was told so long ago.

As Andrea had said so eloquently long ago, "The pain doesn't go away...you just make room for it." And that's exactly what Beth intended to do; she only hoped it would make her stronger in the end though.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: S**o there's chapter two. Much longer than the first chapter by far, lol. I read that people think Daryl and Beth are being watched so I put that in this chapter to give a sense of urgency. Not much talking going on between the two, sorry that'll happen in the next chapter I swear. Beth will become more badass as I get further into the story (still no plot running and I'm freaking out!). So how is the whole both POV's going? Is it too much? Or just enough? I kind of switch between them depending on the situation so I hope it's not too confusing, I don't think so but it's different for everyone.

Review and let me know whatcha y'all think! Next update won't be as quick; I really do need to get a plotline written and stuff. But anywho thanks for reading and please review!

_**ALCzysz17**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Stronger**

**Chapter 3**

They walked for the rest of that day, only stopping once to eat and drink before going on. Beth's feet throbbed and ached from the extensive walking they were doing. Actually her whole body ached in various places along with a pounding headache. Daryl kept near the roads but mostly walked along it in the woods, in the case that someone drove on by he wanted to make sure they could duck and hide. It was a good plan but she felt like roots, branches and rocks were trying to trip her up left and right. She couldn't stop from stumbling every so often.

Daryl on the other hand seemed more at ease with their pace. He moved swiftly enough making minimal sound as opposed to her clambering around behind him. He also flinched every time she tripped on something, his shoulders hunching. She wouldn't be surprised if he was frowning from her excess noise. She tried her best to be quiet, to follow his every move but it was just too difficult. He was too good and she was aching too much.

Beth sighed deeply. She forced her mind to not stray to dangerous thoughts, to keep thinking of just surviving. Keep moving, don't look back. That became her personal motto; it was something she came back to time and again as they moved. It was all she could do at this point too.

The day was slowly passing them by and the sky was now starting to darken as the sun set. It made her nervous to think they might still be walking even during the night. She couldn't help but voice her concerns. "Daryl it's gettin' dark out." He nodded slowly arching his head back to peer up at the sky briefly.

"Yah, we'll find somethang soon." Beth sure hoped so.

Daryl rubbed the back of his neck. Though he didn't show it he was actually hurting probably just as much as she was. His back was protesting the weight of his crossbow but he couldn't hold it in his arms either. They were strained at the moment. The whole day's events were just now starting to hit his body; they've probably already hit Beth's pretty hard. He could hear her tripping and yawning behind him as they moved. He knew she wanted to rest, hell he wanted to sleep for days especially since he hadn't been sleeping properly in the last few days.

So much on his mind kept him from sleeping, he was restless. So much had happened in such a short time. As confident as he portrayed himself to Beth, really he was worried and nervous as shit. He wanted Rick here with him, more so Carol. He hadn't gotten to speak to her before she left, before Rick forced her to leave. He didn't much like his decision, hell he wanted to scream out in frustration but he held together. He trusted Rick to a fault; it made him wonder if that was also a downfall.

Then again Tyreese wasn't exactly in the right mind. The man had become unhinged and the last thing they needed was him around Carol especially after what she had done. Daryl couldn't even believe that she did that. He understood the reasoning but…that wasn't Carol. At least not the Carol he knew, recently he noticed more and more of her changing and not for the good like when her husband had died. This change was something that scared him.

Daryl glimpsed behind him to see Beth staring down at her feet trying her best to not trip anymore and walk lightly.

He hoped she didn't go down that path. Daryl wasn't sure he could handle another person he cared about going off the deep end.

Less then an hour later of walking they started seeing the trees thinning out. The road was also expanding from a lineless backroad to a marked two line road. They were coming up on residential areas, he knew there were some nearby but he hadn't expected it to take this long. Then again he wasn't entirely sure where they were at the moment even the road sign they passed wasn't recognizable to him. His eyes were growing strained and blurry too which didn't help.

Upon seeing the neighborhood looming ahead they both let out a sigh of relief. And not a minute sooner, Beth thought as the red, orange and yellow hues of the sun set started to blend in with the night. There were a few walkers lingering about as they picked up their pace.

Daryl aimed his crossbow and shot a walker right in the head. He ran up beside it yanking out the arrow to quickly reload. Beth came up to a walker with its back turned to her jabbing the hunter's knife through the back of its skull.

'Piece of cake.' She pulled back to follow after Daryl. Normally she would have a fence between her and the walkers when she would put them down. With no fence it added an element of danger that both thrilled her and scared her. One wrong move or miscalculation could lead her to getting bit or eaten.

Looking ahead Daryl pointed out a small one story house off to their right. It was made of brick and very quaint. Beth could see herself living in a house much like it before the end of the world. She watched as Daryl took out two more walkers ripping both arrows from their skulls. He waved the blonde forward up the three steps to the house. She waited for him to come up knowing that he would lead the search inside.

Daryl jingled the knob finding it locked, a good sign but that also meant they would have to check the back door. He glanced at Beth to see the exhaustion in her eyes but she kept her head up and his knife in her hand poised to attack. "We gotta head ta the back." He said quickly, she nodded.

He turned racing down the steps and going round the house. It was getting darker shrouding the woods behind the house in darkness. He eyed the woods then turned to the back porch to see both a sliding glass door and a back door. About five walkers followed them to the back so Daryl had no time to tap the glass and see if anything was in there to greet them. He hoped for the best.

Beth looked over her shoulder worriedly as the walkers closed in. She turned to the redneck as he tried the sliding door that proved to be locked then the back door which also was locked. Hearing a groan she whipped around to the stairs to see a walker trying to get up the steps. Beth walked up to it and kicked it in the chest sending it to the ground and knocking another one down as well.

"Beth, my knife." Daryl barked holding his hand out for it. She handed it over turning back to the walkers two more trying to get up the steps as the last two struggled to get back to their feet. It didn't help that the five walkers were stopping on top of them.

"Hurry Daryl." Beth said urgently backing closer to the door. He grunted his response. The two walkers managed to coordinate themselves up the steps together. "Daryl." She repeated.

"Hurryin'." He replied back. She took another step back as one reached the porch floor. It raised its arms toward her. Another step back had Beth bumping into Daryl then empty space.

Gasping a hand grabbed her arm pulling her backwards; she tripped over a foot and stumbled into the wall just as the door was slammed shut. Placing a hand on her chest she breathed out. "That was too close."

Daryl locked the door with the top bolt since the knob lock was useless now. There was banging on the door but they both ignored it. He turned to lean against the door wiping his face with the back of his hand. "Ya a'right?"

"Aside from the heartache, yeah just peachy." Beth commented with slight sarcasm and exhaustion. She could step for hours, days even. Daryl huffed then pushed off the door. He mumbled that he was gonna take a look around.

Beth just nodded waving him off as he went pass her. She looked to her left to see a dryer and washer and on her right was the kitchen/dining room. Everything was in place with a layer of dust topping it off. It looked like the house was frozen in time, preserved from the days of old. The blonde stood up straight turning round the corner. She gasped as she came eye to chest with Daryl. He pulled back quickly leaving a good chunk of space between them.

"It's all clear. Ain't nobody been 'ere in years." Beth nodded feeling heat on her face. She followed Daryl out into the living room where he fell down on to the couch without a care in the world. His eyes closed automatically leaving her to her thoughts.

That was not a good thing.

Now that the danger was behind them the whole day really started to sink in. Her eyes took in the photos on the wall and frames on the fire place. An older couple had lived here, they looked so happy in the pictures. Beth wondered what happened to them.

Then like a flip of a switch her eyes watered and her throat closed up. She tripped over a book left forgotten on the floor as she went towards a hall finding the bathroom on her first try. Tears spilled from her eyes as she shut the door and sat down on the toilet. The unsettling emptiness inside her heart felt cold.

Her Daddy was gone.

Beth had barely gotten to see him during the flu epidemic. Being locked away with Judith gave her no time to see anybody. She did talk to him through the door like she had done with Maggie but that wasn't the same thing. She reached down to grip at her jeans. Beth never got to say good-bye. She never got to tell him how much she loves, loved him. Never got a hug, only his were ever comforting. She'll never see him again. The last memory she had of him was…

A sob was released from her throat; she bent over her legs while wrapping her arms around her shaking frame. What was she going to do now? Maggie was either lost or dead, the last of her family and now she was all alone. She didn't want to be alone! Beth whimpered as tears dripped down soaking in the fabric of her jeans. She wanted her sister, she wanted her Daddy back!

"Beth." She didn't react when a hand touched her back, rubbing gently, soothingly. "I'm sorry." His words only made her cry more, stealing her breath away.

"I-I w-w-want him ba-back! Br-ring him BACK!" Beth screamed suddenly burying her face into Daryl's chest. His arms squeezed her to him as he kneeled on the floor by the toilet

The moment she shut the door he knew what she was gonna do. He opened his eyes and had stared up at the ceiling; waiting. Daryl was just gonna let her do her thing, cry it out and let the emotions run their course through her system but…

His heart ached when he heard the first cry. He tried to ignore it; she didn't need him crowding her. He did well enough but hearing her sound so broken and all alone killed him. She wasn't alone, not while he's around and if they were going to survive together, get through this mess together then he needed to be there for her at her lowest.

With that decision in mind he got up feeling tense and hearing bones pop. Daryl easily located what door she was hidden behind. Testing the door to find it unlocked he eased it open slowly as to not startle her though it really didn't matter, she wasn't paying attention.

Seeing Beth leaning over her legs holding herself left a bad taste in his mouth. She looked so broken, shattered. Though he wasn't one for touching, even worse at comforting he also couldn't just stand in the doorway and stare at her. Now here he was holding her as she cried and screamed into his shirt. Beth's tears were soaking through the fabric wetting his skin and it didn't seem like she was going to stop anytime soon. "I wish I could darlin', I really wish I could."

His eyes glossed over as she continued to carry on against him. Though the sounds she was making tore at him it also put him at ease. Not too long ago she had stated so blandly that she didn't cry anymore. It was so unfeeling he was shocked, when she asked if he was okay instead of saying anything about her lack of emotions he said he was tired of losing people.

Daryl hadn't been lying but that hadn't been the whole truth either. Still seeing Beth crying, feeling, it assured him that she wasn't gone, that she hadn't lost her soul. This world did that to ya. Took everything good and light inside ya and turned it dark and black, it sucked whatever happiness that can be found out of ya. He wouldn't let that happen to her though. If Daryl could do anything for her it was keep her safe and watch out for her.

He hoped it was enough.

"Can…can I be alone for a bit Daryl?" Beth asked in a low, scratchy voice. She pulled away from him pushing her unruly hair out of her face. Daryl stared down at her as he stood bringing an unnoticeable blush to blotchy red face.

"Ya gunna be a'right?" The concern etched on his features warmed the emptiness in her chest. She shrugged though setting her eyes on the bathtub. Would she be alright? After everything they had been through it wasn't exactly an easy question to answer. Right now she figured she could push on, try to put this behind her. In the long run? She wasn't even sure of that.

"Honestly," her voice cracked a little, "I don't think I will. But that doesn't meant I won't live." He did not seem satisfied with that answer. Sighing she went on, "Ya know Andrea told me once that the pain doesn't go away, that we all just make room for it. I just need time to make room for it is all." Daryl nodded rubbing his thumb down his nose.

"Andrea always was a smart cookie. I'll be out thair, don't be too long." Beth could read the warning between the lines. If she took too long he would be coming for her. It was sweet but really just needed time to come to terms with everything. She had her breakdown, now she just needed to reorganize her thoughts. Get herself together mentally.

Once Daryl left she got up shutting the door after him. Her eyes ached and itched from her tears drying on her skin. In a moment of blind hope she twisted the sinks knobs but nothing came out. Her eyes then moved to barely see her face in the mirror. It was coated thickly with dust.

Beth brought her hand up with the intention to wipe the dust off but thought better of it. She couldn't clean her hands from the dust and she'd rather not see her own reflection right now. She probably resembled a monster at this point. Sighing softly she pulled the mirror open revealing a cabinet behind it. There were a few meds but nothing that could help them out; there was also mouthwash and toothpaste. She'll have to remember to grab those before they leave the house, whenever that was.

There was so much uncertainty swirling around her head. Beth didn't know what she was gonna do anymore, where were they going to go? The prison was supposed to be safe yet here they all were scattered around the backwoods of Georgia. She wasn't even sure who made it out alive, or if they'll ever meet up with anyone ever again. Fear gripped her heart as she leaned against the door. What if she never saw her sister again? Could she move on without her? Beth wasn't so sure she could. Rubbing her eyes she decided to go join Daryl in the living room.

She didn't want to be alone anymore…

Daryl looked up from wiping his arrows down. He only had four left so he needed to make them count. He briefly watched Beth search through her pack to pull out two cans of food and the last bottle of water. She then sat down across from him on a small love seat as he stayed on the couch; there was a wooden coffee table between them where she set the water down on.

"Do you want spinach or…" She brought the can to her face; it was getting harder to see. "Or black olives?" Daryl made a face at both of the choices.

"Spinach, hate olives." Beth nodded tossing him his can. He had to use his knife to pop the top off while she had an easy 'lift the latch' top. "Good thing I like black olives."

He shrugged. "I woulda ate 'em if I had ta." He wouldn't like it though. Beth seemed like she knew otherwise as well.

"So…do we have any type of plan?" She asked hesitantly not wanting to know if they didn't but still curious. She watched as Daryl leaned back on the couch digging into his can as he thought about her question. It was getting darker out and she was having a harder time making out his face or much of anything really.

"After the Governor's first attack Rick and I decided ta find a few locations ta meet up at, ya know in case somethang were ta happen and we split." Beth nodded popping an olive in her mouth. "We got three locations prepared fer this very risen. I say we rest up fer the nite then head out at dawn."

"Do you think anybody will be there?" Daryl looked up from slurping wet leafy spinach to connect eyes with her. He took a moment to chew and swallow before answering.

"I ain't gunna git yer hopes up Beth. I don't rightly know." Her eyes downcasted to the coffee table. "But I do know everyone, our family is strong and they know how ta survive." Beth nodded slowly taking one last bite of her olives before setting the can down.

"Thanks Daryl." He shrugged finishing off his food.

"It ain't nuthin'. She shook her head at him, a smile tugging at her lips.

"No, really. Thank you." Daryl lightly smiled back. He wasn't sure she should be thanking him just yet but if it helped her then he'll let her.

Honestly he wasn't sure what happened to everyone, he didn't know who was alive or dead. He definitely didn't know if anyone would be at any of the sites. All three were in different directions from the prison, all different miles away from each other. The prison being the center of the map for them, there was one location leading southwest from the prison, closest to their location if he thought about it clearly. He'll know once they leave the house. Then second place was southeast back towards the Greene farm. Finally the third site is straight up north bordering both North Carolina and South Carolina and it was the furthest from the prison. It was also the final destination for them. Each location also had supplies and ammo, maybe a few weapons but not much.

Daryl figured they'd hit the first two sites for supplies and in case their group was there. Hopefully they would come across their group soon.

Then again Daryl didn't chalk much up for hope as of late…

* * *

><p>They woke at dawn like Daryl wanted. Beth scavenged for food including the items she wanted from the bathroom while he went out to dispose of the walkers lingering about. They had given up banging on the door after a while finding no way to get in and luckily not bothering with the sliding glass door. Even so Daryl had pushed the dining room table over and placed it against the sliding doors, the glass breaking being their warning call and the table would help buffer them from entering giving them time to get out. It was a blessing that nothing happened that night because he slept like the dead, ironic as the phrase is.<p>

The last few nights back at the prison had been so stressful that he hadn't had much time to sleep, was too restless to bother either way. Waking up that morning though Daryl felt strangely refreshed and energized, a good thing considering the distance they would have to go to get to the first site. He was not looking forward to all the walking and he was sure Beth didn't either.

Her pack was slightly heavier since she found some more food including peanut butter crackers. She nibbled on a few as she did another check through the small house. Beth checked one last time in the biggest bedroom, the master bedroom. The closet door was open with clothes littering the ground; it was the only room that looked ransacked. From the looks of it though it seemed the occupants of the house grabbed a bunch of their stuff and took off probably when the epidemic first started.

Looking around she stopped when she saw a very cute pale yellow button up sweater. She wouldn't need it for during the day but that would be quite helpful at night, it was getting cooler more so than normal. It had been summer for a bit she supposed but it was like summer came late this year and it was leaving so soon too. Beth looked more but didn't find anything that would fit Daryl. His shoulders were too broad for any of the jackets the man of the house had. She blushed lightly.

When had she noticed that he had such broad shoulders?

Shaking her head she stuffed her new sweater into her pack pulling it on and turning to leave. She met Daryl in the living room, he was sweating slightly from taking out walkers but he didn't look exhausted. He turned to her. "Ya ready ta hit the road?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." The blonde replied taking hold of Daryl's knife as he handed it to her; he had the courtesy of wiping the blood off of it for her.

"I tried fiddlin' wit' some of 'em cars out thair, but thair all dead so we'll have'ta go on foot." Beth nodded trying to not look disappointed. Daryl saw her reaction though and gave her a grim smile. "It ain't the best way ta git where were headin' but it's all we can do."

"I know, just doesn't make it suck any less ya know." He nodded setting up his crossbow.

"Let's hit the road jack."

They made it out of the neighborhood in one piece and from there they walked on. Beth found that she may have a blister on her right foot and all this walking wasn't doing it any good. She opted to not complain though; a little discomfort was something she could deal with. Complaining wouldn't get anything done anyway, not to mention if that was the worst of her injuries to come than she would embrace any blisters she may get.

Luckily Daryl pointed out, once he realized where they were, that they were only a day and a half away from the site. The helped to lighten the mood between them. A lot of their walking though was near the roadways so they stayed just in the woods to be unseen from any passer-bys while still able to make out the road itself. They kept a decent pace and were able to pass by many walkers as they went. Beth couldn't believe it but they were making great time and not hitting almost any trouble along the way.

They both agreed to not stop to eat, just keep walking while eating. They shared the last bottle of water leaving only a quarter left for later, she hoped they would come across more bottles soon. Though it was moving out of summer it was still beating hot out and the constant walking made her sweat like no tomorrow. Not only that but she had a little problem now too.

"Uh Daryl?" Beth called out feeling heat rise to her cheeks. He looked over his shoulder at her giving her a nod to go on. "I uh…I have to go."

"Go where?" He questioned giving her a weird look as he stopped. Beth gave him a pointed look before he quickly got it. Daryl rubbed a hand over his face sighing. "Go behind 'em trees and make it quick. It uh…it ain't number two right?"

She didn't know what was more embarrassing, that she had to give him a look for him to realize what she meant or that he was actually asking her if she had to pee or poop. "Numero uno." Beth mumbled out hurrying out of his sight but not too far away so she could go.

Daryl sighed throwing his head back to look at the trees canopying overhead. It helped to shade them from direct sunlight but it was still stuffy with at least eighty percent humidity. Closing his eyes he let the sounds around him enter his ears and mind. They hadn't come across another walker for at least two miles, maybe more. It was strange that they hadn't at the very least seen one and even with his eyes closed and ears wide open he still didn't hear any groaning or shuffling.

Suddenly he felt a weird burning in the back of his head. His eyes shot open and slowly took a look around him. He was being watched.

Beth hated peeing out in the wilderness. Worst yet was having to figure out if the leaves by her were poison ivy or not before using them to wipe herself with. Though she was a country girl through and through she wasn't an outdoorsy person. Even living on the farm she wasn't much for being out in the woods exploring, rather she would stay inside to read or paint. Maggie had been the outdoorsmen of the family more so than Shawn had been.

Before the epidemic Beth had never gone camping either. Now it seemed like that's all she did except it was more camping inside other houses and such but it was still the same thing. She guessed.

Beth quickly wiped herself and pulled up her jeans. She just got the zipper up and her jeans buttoned when a hand covered her mouth and another gripped her shoulder. She sucked in a sharp breath bout ready to scream when she heard his voice.

"Don't scream, we're bein' watched…" Daryl's husky voice whispered in her right ear encasing it in his warm breath. A shudder rocked her body at his closeness but fear struck her heart. They were being watched?!

"Daryl." Beth whispered back against his hand, her voice muffled. Then there was a snap further from their right. Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach as she heard a curse enter her ear from Daryl being so close.

"Shit, run Beth! Just run!"

And that's exactly what she did…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Y**ah I know I left ya all on a cliffhanger, just to warn ya quite a few chapters will end on cliffhangers. Keeps ya wanting more huh? Lol. So this story will be much darker than my other ones, there will be moments that will be sort of graphic and there will be character deaths that will make you sad. I haven't gotten the whole plot written out but I'm up to chapter sixteen, seventeen of the plot being written out so I at least know where I'm going generally.

I hope this chapter came out decent; I needed to get Beth being emotional over her father's death out of the way. In the beginning Daryl was supposed to not bother her but I guess he really couldn't take her crying cause he disobeyed me and went to her anyway. Also the next like seven chapters will be non-stop action and shit hitting the fence so be prepared! I am using all my knowledge to put these two through hell and back from playing games like 'the last of us', 'Tomb Raider' and 'Resident evil' along will movies of similar genre. Next chapter will be much longer!

Check ya later!

_**ALCzysz17**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Stronger**

**Chapter 4**

"_Shit, run Beth! Just run!" _

Beth didn't need to be told twice, she took off without a second thought. The urgency in Daryl's voice scared her just about as much as the thought of who was watching them did. She ignored the throbbing of her feet and the slight aches in her legs and arms as she moved quickly through the woods. The pack bounced on her back as she moved, she never did take it off when she used the bathroom, case in point. She tried to hear if Daryl was behind her but all she could make out was her blood rushing in her ears.

She wanted to look back but she knew she couldn't. Every scary movie she ever watched flashed through her mind and Beth knew if she turned around to see if Daryl was there with her she would trip and fall. Beth pushed aside low branches and stepped on top of a fallen tree branch using it to jump over a small creek and continued running. Something inside her told her to stop, something wasn't right. But she couldn't stop, she needed to keep going.

Suddenly like a pop went off in her ears Beth could make out other noises aside from her rushing blood through her veins. A moan to her left indicated a walker.

Beth whipped around to it using the momentum to jab her knife through the walker's cheek angled upward to its brain. She ripped it out fast not even watching as it dropped to the ground as she turned to ask Daryl where they should go.

Only Daryl wasn't there.

"Daryl." Beth hissed out spinning around in a circle but he was nowhere to be found. The fear that rocked her body now shot up to her heart. She was all alone.

Everything around her looked the same; it was all trees, dirt and grass she couldn't even make out the road they had been by. Had she really run that far out? It only seemed like a short minute or so of her running but clearly she ran much further than she originally thought. Where was Daryl though? Did he get captured?

Beth drew in a shaky breath. What was she going to do?

A twig snapping further out spurred her into action. Daryl is an excellent tracker, he would find her. Turning away from the direction that the twig snapping came from Beth used the adrenaline still pumping in her veins to run once more. If she wanted to live then she would have to ignore her emotions right now, even more so the fear encasing her heart to survive. The aches and pains from before seemed minor compared to her fear.

It helped to focus her mind though and when a big barn appeared in a slightly open field she felt a bit of hope in her. She had no idea who was following her, who had been watching them but the thoughts of it being those hunters from the country club did nothing to settle her fear and anxiety. Daryl had said they knew what they were doing, that they were hunting and apparently they happened to be the prey. Beth couldn't figure out why they would want them and she didn't want to find out first hand either.

The barn had to have been built over a few decades ago, if not longer. The wood was dark brown and decaying and as she opened the door that was built into the huge double doors for farming equipment it creaked from rusty hinges. She shut the door quickly behind her letting her eyes adjust to the semi-darkness around. There was light filtering through the ceiling but it didn't provide much to see with. There were also no noises of shuffling or groaning but Beth still kept a tight grip on her knife. As her eyes tuned into the dim lighting she noticed farming equipment here and there also rusting and caked in dirt and dust.

Beth ran over to the mounting hill of hay in the back of the barn passing by an old tractor that had seen much better days. Quickly she ducked down around the hay wincing at the strong smell though it was much better than when she hid with Daryl behind the rotting meat. Leaning back against the barn wall she waited and not long either. The small door creaked upon being opened and Beth leaned around the hay to get a look at her stalker.

She couldn't make out much but he was a tall man, leaner than muscular. He crouched a little to the ground and started slowly walking along the wall of the barn trying to find her.

Where the Daryl? She needed him now; she couldn't possible defeat this guy on her own! A chill ran down her spine.

'Daryl where are you?'

* * *

><p>"Shit, run Beth! Just run!"<p>

Daryl watched as Beth took off at top speed running off in the opposite direction of the road. Turning towards the noise he saw the three hunters from before, they weren't bothering to hide themselves now. As much as he knew he should follow Beth, make sure she is safe he couldn't risk leading them to her though. Quickly he raised his crossbow taking a shot at them. They moved fast though and his arrow ledged itself into one of the hunter's arms instead of his head.

Just as it landed they raised their guns and rifles firing at him. Daryl took off the complete opposite of Beth running across the road to the other side and through the trees there. He would have to find her later but hopefully they'll take the bait and go for him instead. He was a bigger threat.

Daryl ran swiftly through the woods passing walkers by as he moved, he didn't bother stopping as he could hear his pursuers behind him. A gun shot rang and he felt a burn on his arm, glancing down for a mere second he saw that he was bleeding on his left arm. Luckily, as he moved his arms while running, he could tell the bullet just skimmed him. That didn't mean it didn't hurt like a bitch though.

He kept going though ignoring the pain that bloomed from the gunshot wound. He would live. Taking a sharp turn to his right he could make out another neighborhood residential area. It wasn't as nice looking as the one he had found yesterday but it would help him hide and take these guys out silently. As Daryl broke out into the street of the sub-division he rapidly took off down the street dodging walkers as he went. The dead things were littering the area making it harder for him in the process.

Daryl shoved a walker away with his crossbow then hid behind a truck while yanking out an arrow from his arsenal on the crossbow. Three left. 'Shit.' He cursed silently stabbing the walker in the eye socket then peeked over the hood of the truck to see if the hunters followed. They moved briskly and silently, he almost missed them had not one of them killed a walker as they moved. He cursed in his mind again when he noticed that only two had followed him, the third had to have taken off after Beth.

Dread filled his belly at the thought. She was resourceful though, he was sure she would make it; at least till he got there. Daryl wasn't going to let anything happen to her if he could help it. Rigging up the crossbow with an arrow he kept a close eye on the two hunters. One of them had his arrow still stuck in his forearm; he supposed that was a smart idea kept the blood from freely flowing sort of like clogging the hole for now.

He wouldn't be surprised if that was the guy who shot him in the arm. An eye for an eye and all.

Steadying his breathing Daryl lifted his crossbow up narrowing his eyes from the gleam of the sun off the hood of the truck. One of the hunters had gotten into his range with his side turned away from him, perfect. Aiming he pulled the trigger sending an arrow sailing through the air and right into the back of the hunter's neck, he dropped like a bag of potatoes to the ground. Ducking back behind the truck he heard a strangled yell.

Looking through the window though he couldn't place where the other hunter was, all he could make out through the dust on the window was the hunter on the ground dead. A bang went off on the window forcing Daryl to jump back as a walker's face appeared in the truck staring at him hungrily. He needed to move though, find a better vantage point and snuff out the other hunter quickly.

Daryl ran behind the garage by the truck ramming right into another walker. He shoved it back once more taking an arrow from his crossbow to jab it through the walkers face. Turning around another walker grabbed him by the shoulders forcing Daryl to place a hand on its neck to keep it from bearing down on his own throat. Hearing a groan from behind him just honestly pissed him off. 'Fuck really!' He thought pushing with all his strength at the walker in front of him making it release him and fall into the garage wall.

Turning around Daryl met the walker head on, this one a female. Snatching up his arrow that had fallen out of his hand from earlier he swung his arm around plowing the sharp point of the arrow into her temple thus killing her for good. Whipping around to meet the other walker again he heard a gunshot go off and that walker crumpled to the ground letting him see the hunter with his rifle aimed at Daryl and the arrow still in his forearm. The walker must have gotten in the way of his shot, he thought.

Not wasting time Daryl ran around the garage dodging another shot. As fun as this is the dread from worrying over Beth was becoming unbearable now. He needed to make sure she was alright, these guys were too deadly. He needed to shake this guy off his tail though; he could hear the man following behind him. Running out into the open he used the walkers to his advantage shoving them behind his body as he ran blocking any shots meant for him from the hunter and hopefully directing the walkers hunger to him instead of Daryl.

It worked. He heard a few shots rang out but none were directed at him. Smirking at his success Daryl ran back the way he came his thoughts all centered on Beth. He hoped she was alright; if anything happened to her there would be hell to pay!

He just didn't know if it was the hunter or him who would be paying for it…

* * *

><p>Beth inched further into the hay keeping her eyes on the hunter as he edged near the walls of the barn taking in everything around him. He was holding up a big handgun, like something from a gangster movie and he looked like he intended to use it. Looking around rapidly she couldn't find any place else that she could possibly hide from him, all she could do was push herself further into the hay to hide. The hunter was getting close too.<p>

Biting into her bottom lip Beth tried to think of a plan, anything! Her mind felt jumbled at the moment now that she could catch her breath and truly think. Only thinking wasn't on her side. It was getting harder to force herself into the hay, anymore and it would give away her location. If he truly wanted her dead too then he would just shot the hay repeatedly which would surely kill her. Gulping at the thought she dropped to her knees getting closer to the ground. Her fingers dug into the hay as she tried to figure a way out of this.

She was going to die.

That was all that Beth could think about. No plan came to mind, nothing but the fear leaking through every part of her mind as she watched the hunter. It was like watching a car crash about to happen, you can see it coming at ya but there was nothing you could do to stop it. She was going to die.

Beth fell to her butt then winced from what she landed on. Glancing down she pulled a broken brick out from under her butt. She could always throw a brick at him, she mused. But then an idea formed in her mind. The hunter was bound to find her hiding place here in the hay yet the barn was big with many dark crevices to hide in. If Beth threw the brick to the other side of the barn it would bring his attention to over there and away from her.

He had to know he was searching for a young girl so it would seem logical that she wouldn't be able to hide without making noise right? Beth didn't have time to deliberate this in her mind any longer, moving away from the hay she pinpointed the hunter with his back only briefly turned to her. Taking her chance she flung the broken brick to the other side of the barn hitting the tractor in the process. A loud clanking noise sounded around them making the man turn towards that area. Though he didn't move fast he was heading that way giving her time to change her hiding place.

Beth used another old farming machine; it looked like it used to be an old generic milker for cows, to camouflage her movements from him. Her foot tapped something on the ground though stopping her in her tracks. Her eyes took in an old gas can turned on its side. Reaching down she lifted it up hearing gas gurgling inside the metal can. That's when an idea came to her mind; she could set the hay on fire!

Though dangerous it could smoke the hunter out and away from her and be used as a homing beacon for Daryl too. It really was a dangerous idea though, she could also get smoked out into the hunter's arms but if she didn't do something it would result in her getting captured or killed either way. If there was something she learned from this life was that it wasn't worth living if she was going to give up. Even her Daddy was willing to fight back rather than give up, it may have resulted in his death but he wasn't a coward and neither will she. There was no easy way out of this world anyway, never was. Plus Beth would rather die from smoke inhalation than whatever torture that man might do to her.

Glimpsing the man still investigating over by the tractor Beth made quick work of draining the remaining gas in the can on the hay and decaying walls of the barn, this place was going to go up like a firecracker. She splashed the gas all around then set it down glancing back over to see the hunter edging on the opposite wall. She turned back to her handy work withholding a choke from the smell of gasoline when it occurred to her.

She had nothing to light it with.

'Wait! I have the gun!' Beth thought happily moving to tug the gun from the side pouch on the pack usually reserved for bottled water when she heard the sound of a gun being cocked.

"Don't move." A dark, husky southern voice said from behind her. She instantly stilled her movements feeling her heart beat erratically against her ribcage as she waited. "Put yer hands up an' turn 'round real slow like." Breathing softly through her mouth to keep herself calm Beth turned around slowly like he said.

Just as she was turning to him a thought came to her mind. Go down fighting! Quickly, in a blink of his eye she dropped to her knees towards the right startling the hunter into shooting his gun where the hay heavily drenched in gas sat. It ignited instantly distracting the hunter so Beth could pull the small handgun from her pack and aiming it right at his face.

Now they were at a draw.

Seeing him clearly now it was an older male, mid-forties, he had dark hair, bordering black but could just be dark brown with stubble on his face much like Daryl but when he smiled though she took in the missing teeth from his mouth and the ones left that were yellowing over. It was not an appealing sight.

"Now wha's a sweet lil' thang like ya doin' wit' a gun?" Beth kept her gun trained on him though the heat from the fire behind her made her back sweat. She was too close to it, before long it'll start burning her but she had no place to go.

"It doesn't have to end like this, if ya just put your gun away we can get out of here." Beth pleaded. As much as she wanted to go down fighting if there was no way out, she didn't exactly embrace it totally. She thought maybe she could reason with him, if only till they got out of the barn first. The man only chuckled darkly.

"Ain't nobody leavin' this here barn alive but me." The breath was knocked out of her throat by not only his words as he smiled cruelly down at her but also the smoke building up in the barn. It billowed up to the ceiling only seeping a little bit at a time through the cracks but covered the whole ceiling as it tried to escape. She coughed as heat licked at her back. The fire was now moving around them catching the top of the barn on fire as well.

"Please! You don't have to do this!" He only chuckled more.

"Ya see I won't kill ya right here. First I'll just shoot ya that way I can have fun wit'cha later, that is if ya really wanna live that much. I'm gonna enjoy this." His voice made her want to puke. She then glared hatefully at him.

"I'd like to see ya try." Beth stated in a hard tone ready to shoot him regardless if he hit her back.

He opened his mouth to say one last thing but instead of words coming out an arrow burst through the back of his skull with the pointed end scraping the roof of his mouth and sticking just beyond his lips. Simultaneously as the arrow hit him his finger pulled the trigger. Beth's jaw dropped witnessing his death so rapidly but also the raging pain in her left shoulder as the bullet shot through muscle and skin. The only good grace she had was that she felt it exit her body just as fast as it entered. She didn't even have time to scream from the pain.

Daryl appeared out of nowhere running over to her and pulling her into his arms. The pain was unbearable and tears welled up in her eyes as little whimpers escaped her lips. She dropped the gun digging her fingers into Daryl's shirt. Seeing him there was like seeing an angel come down from the sky, he was her own guardian angel.

"I gotcha Beth, I gotcha. Shit." He cursed as he lifted her up into his arms, cradling her to him as he ran pass the dead body of the hunter and raced out of the burning barn.

He was able to track her very easily; thank goodness she wasn't good at keeping her steps light otherwise he would have had a harder time. Seeing black smoke in the sky through the canopy of the tree tops also helped. He had feared the worse though seeing the barn on fire. Daryl was all ready to get revenge on the hunter when he saw him with his hand aiming to shoot. He then saw Beth down on the ground with fire nearing her. Her words though give him some pride in her.

She looked ready to die fighting and as much as that sicken him to see her like that it also made him feel proud of her. Beth wasn't going to just lie down and take it. He also heard what the hunter had said to her which made his blood boil. Daryl rigged his crossbow in lightning speed and shot the man in the back of his head. He just wished he had known how closely his trigger finger had been ready to shoot. Now Beth had a hole in her shoulder blade and he didn't have a clue where to go.

He pushed back against the door flying out of there to see walkers heading towards the burning barn. Shit. Couldn't he just get a little break? A tiny bit?

"Fuck!" Daryl then turned to Beth in his arms, her whimpers of pain had died down to nothing then he saw her eyes rolling into the back of her head. "Beth, don't ya dare go ta sleep! Ya best wake up now!" He barked fearfully running as best as he could pass walkers. One snatched a small strip of Beth's hair ripping it out of her head as he ran pass it releasing a sharp scream from her mouth. "Sorry."

"Daryl…ugh…" Beth groaned in his arms, her breathing becoming harsh. He had to get her to safety and check out her wound fast. Her blood was flowing out of the bullet hole rapidly drenching her back and his arms in it. Walkers were ambling after them upon smelling fresh blood. They were everywhere!

Daryl looked around them as he went. Where do they go? What do they do? For once he didn't have the answers and he couldn't even begin to pull something out of his ass either. At this point he was running blindly now with no general direction and every time he looked down at Beth she got paler and paler.

"I dunno what ta do, fuck I dunno what ta do."…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: W**ill Beth live? Will they find a place to hide? What about the last hunter? All will be answered in the next chapter, well mostly answered anyway. Hope y'all liked this installment. I especially liked writing it! The action and pulse pumping uncertainty always gets me going! Poor Daryl I've put him in such tight spots. He'll make it through though; he's a trooper that he is.

I feel a bit bad that I did that to Beth, both the bullet wound and ripping some of her pretty hair from her head but that's the least of her wounds in my story. It only gets darker from here. Lol. But I hope everyone liked tough Beth in this, I feel it's the next logical step for her character to toughen up, be stronger. Hence the title.

Anywho review and let me know what y'all think!

_**ALCzysz17**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Stronger**

**Chapter 5**

"_I dunno what ta do, fuck I dunno what ta do."_

Daryl for once in his life felt like he was going to cry from frustration. His eyes were watering but he refused to let tears come out, crying would be like admitting defeat and he would be damned if he ever did that. Swallowing the lump in his throat he ran faster trying not to jostle Beth too much. The woods seemed endless just going on forever. He had very little hope to begin with but now it was dwindling by the second.

Beth was fading before his very eyes. What would he do without her? Logically Daryl knew he could, would go on if he lost her but he wasn't sure he would be the same person in the end. Beth was his to take care of, the same would have been said had he had Judith, Carl or even Glenn. He took it upon himself to protect her regardless of injury but he wasn't sure what to do when she was the one injured. Hershel and Carol had been the ones with the training, even Beth and Maggie had some training medically through their father. Daryl though, he had no idea what he would do the only thing he knew was to the make the blood clot and he couldn't do that while running.

Looking around quickly he set Beth down getting barely a response out of her as he did. He wrenched the pack from her back in his haste checking inside it to find anything that could help. For the moment everything was clear walker-wise. Searching through the pack he pulled out a yellowish sweater and some cans of food along with other things but nothing like medicine. Glancing at the sweater he rung it around her shoulder putting pressure against the wound.

Beth groaned from the pain, her eyes screwed shut as she whimpered. Daryl mumbled out apologies as he tied the sweater to her shoulder tightly. He knew it hurt, he could only imagine how painful a bullet wound going all the way through your shoulder could be but he had an inkling feeling of what it would feel like. He too had gotten shot at before, both times had been only getting skimmed by the bullet but they hurt like a bitch.

"Hold on Beth, ya hear me!? I'm tellin' ya ta hold fuckin' on!" His voice shook as he spoke. Quickly he shouldered the pack opposite his crossbow and picked her back up into his arms. He hated the feeling of her blood sticking to his fingers, staining them. His stomach grumbled and cramped but he kept moving, ignoring the queasiness he held his breath against the smell of iron in the air.

Daryl's breath came out in huffs and puffs as he overexerted himself. He wasn't going to stop though; nothing was going to stop him till he got somewhere safe. Running away from the barn he forgot to track himself back to the road and so now they were out in the middle of nowhere with only woods for miles and miles. Dwindling hope was now running on dry as he forced himself to keep going. A walker suddenly came out of nowhere startling him but he quickly slammed his shoulder into the walker knocking it off balance and just kept running.

His legs protested the movements as his arms ached from holding Beth; she wasn't extremely heavy actually she was rather light, almost too light to be honest but Daryl's strength was starting to wind down. He wanted to stop though, to catch his breath but he wasn't sure if he would collapse upon stopping so he ignored his pains only focusing on hers. Glancing down at her helped to motivate him to move faster.

Seeing a hill curving upwards brought his bone-dry hope fill up a notch. It felt like forever trying to get up the steep hill with Beth helping to weight him down but somehow he made it over. There before them was a highway, which one Daryl wasn't sure but finding a vehicle to hide out in was the best protection they could get. Bringing his arms up he brought Beth closer to his face, her forehead brushed his chin. Her forehead felt clammy to him.

Stepping over the railing he made his way around the vehicles. There were some walkers lingering about the vehicles but none that were close by. Daryl kept a wary eye on them as he tried to find a good place to hide out, then he saw it. It was a mobile home much smaller than Dale's had been. Daryl ran up to it to check briefly inside to see no walkers in the front seat, he didn't have time to check extensively. Cradling her with one arm he used his other to open the door on the side and stepped into the mobile home.

Daryl looked around to see a small built in table to his left near the door with a small kitchenette on the right. Walking briskly to the back he set Beth down on the bed there that took up the whole back with no floor to step on aside from the small hallway. She mumbled but mostly stayed still, he dropped the pack and his crossbow on the table then Daryl ripped open the cabinets pushing things aside while trying to find any type of medicine. Feeling quite frantic he knocked down some cans and other shit in his haste to find something.

"D…ar..yl…" Beth mumbled out, her eyes barely open. Weakly she picked up her hand to point at what looked like a broom closet. Seeing her trying to be helpful even in her state Daryl couldn't help but feel a small smile tug at his lips. She was definitely a trooper.

He nodded to her and opened the door finding it to be a small bathroom, barely big enough to fit him inside. As small as it was it proved to not fit anything else of use for them but being a small accessible washroom. Sighing he scrubbed at his eyes wincing when he felt how dry they were from her blood. Pulling his hands back he looked to see the blood pretty much dried and flaking off his skin. Shredding from the sight he backed out looking back to Beth to see her looking unconscious.

There was only one thing he could do for her and it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Beth, thair ain't any meds 'ere. I gotta clean the wounds tho and get them ta shut." She hummed to let him know she heard him. Going back to the pack he pulled out the last bit of water they had then searched the pack further resulting in a frown on his face. "Beth, where's my knife?"

"He..re…" He walked to the back kneeling down on the bed by her waist as he located her hand patting her hip. Lifting her tank up he pulled his knife from her belt loop brushing his knuckles on her skin. Finding another blanket he used the knife to rip it into two then started to untie the knot on the sweater on her shoulder.

Daryl winced as the pale yellow had turned dark red and brown as he unraveled it. The wound looked messy from all the blood around it, he used the one half of the blanket to wipe up the blood from her shoulder then poured the water on it to help clean up the caked, dry blood. Beth moaned from the feel of water on her wound, he was sure it did nothing but agitate it more. Once he cleaned up the entrance wound he could see the small hole into dark muscle tissue, he wondered how much this would damage her shoulder.

What he was about to do next was going to hurt both her and him. "Beth…I gotta make sure yer wound doesn't git infected." She mumbled an acknowledgement. "Ya ain't gunna like it tho." He thought about telling her what he was going to do, a little warning but he wasn't sure he should. But then he knew had it been him needing medical help then he would want to know what they're about to do to him so…

"Look Beth I gotta cauterize the wound…I gotta burn it." Beth blinked up slowly at him, her eyelids looking dark compared to her pale face. Then she nodded a little bit closing her eyes again. "Do…it…" Daryl nodded trying to build up the courage to go through with it. Hershel had mentioned time and again that if there were no antibiotics around then cauterizing the wound would be the next best thing. It would kill any infection in the wound and it would clog the blood from flowing out.

Daryl took his knife running the last of their water over it and cleaning it off before producing his lucky lighter from his pants pocket. Flicking it on he brought the flame to the tip of the blade running the flame along it to heat the metal up. He watched as the tip and a bit further up the knife started to turn red from the heat. Once he was sure it was blazing hot Daryl set his lighter down by his knee and brought the clean half of the blanket to Beth.

"Close yer mouth 'round this blanket so ya don't bite yer tongue off." Beth opened her mouth allowing him to stuff the blanket in as she closed her teeth around it. "I ain't gunna lie Beth, this shit is gunna hurt like a bitch." She just nodded.

Technically he could try to sew her wound but he didn't have any needles or thread. Daryl willed the strength in him then without warning he pressed the tip to her wound immediately she screamed into the blanket trying to rise away from the knife. He placed his forearm down between her breasts and on her collarbone to keep her from moving as he kept the knife to her wound. He could smell her skin burning; it made his stomach squeeze uncomfortably.

The sounds of her screams shook him to his core. Daryl pushed all emotion aside as he continued to work, after a minute or so he pulled the knife away pulling off her to see the wound red and skin burnt looking but it was closed up. The worse part of this was the fact that he still had to cauterize the exit wound too. His stomach turned and Daryl swore he was going to throw up just from the rush of everything happening so fast.

"I have'ta get the back too." Daryl warned her forcing Beth to flip over onto her stomach. She groaned but gave no resistance. "Try not ta move a'right."

"Can't…keep any…promises…" Beth mumbled out turning her face over towards him to give Daryl a cheeky, tired smile. Seeing her trying to be positive brought a smile to his face. "Sorry." She only continued to smile up at him then closed her eyes. Sighing he reheated the knife again after wiping the exit wound as best as he could. Hopefully they would come across water soon.

The second time around wasn't nearly as bad as the first. Beth whimpered and moaned but she held herself together without moving like she tried the first time around. Actually Daryl felt her hand gripping his knee beside her when he pressed down the heated metal. Once he was done though he got up to pull out the peanut butter crackers he had seen her chewing on before. She needed to eat, it would help bring color to her face and replenish her body.

She didn't look like she was up to eating but she did nibble on the crackers best she could. Sighing deeply he let the stress of the situation finally relax off his shoulders. Daryl sat down at the small table wiping a hand down over his face. That was too much, he couldn't believe how close he was to losing her, how close he still is to losing her. They still weren't sure how her wound will heal or if there was any internal damage done to her shoulder. Just thinking about it made his body itch for action, to do something about it. He couldn't sit here doing nothing but he couldn't leave her by herself either. Leaning his face against the window Daryl looked up to the sky seeing where the sun was positioned.

It was after noon, probably round two. Daryl figured they could camp out here for the rest of the day and night before shoving off tomorrow. If anything were to happen to Beth it would be the first twenty-four hours after. He didn't like thinking that way though.

"Daryl." Beth called from the bed; abruptly he was up and over by her. She smiled seeing the anxiety and concern written all over his face. Seeing him like that made a warmth blossom in her chest and she wasn't entirely sure why.

"Anythang ya need?" He inquired pushing the bangs of his hair back from his face. Beth shook her head lightly still trying to fore-feed herself the crackers; though she wasn't hungry they helped settle her tummy.

"If ya wanna go find a working car or something go ahead, I'll be fine." The look she got told her Daryl believed no such thing.

"I ain't leavin' ya 'ere by yerself. I'll go out ta' morrow and look fer a car." Daryl stated in such a way that it left no if's, and's or but's. Beth went to shrug her shoulders but winced upon moving her sore, wounded one.

"I don't wanna hold us back." She said gingerly taking a deep breath though it still made her wince at the pain.

"Ya ain't holdin' anyone back Beth. It ain't a race ta git thair, just relax and rest girl." Beth nodded then closed her eyes. She was out like a light. Daryl watched over her for a moment, worriedly he brought his thumb to his lips to chew on the tip. His tongue touched the tip and he flinched ripping his thumb from his mouth to see Beth's blood still there.

It was going to be a long day and night…

Beth woke abruptly. She blinked repeatedly looking around herself to see it was sunset, the mobile home was dimly lit but with the sun still out she could make out enough to see that Daryl wasn't anywhere around. She assumed he was probably outside letting out any excess adrenaline via killing walkers and such. Daryl wasn't one to like sitting around doing nothing, he needed to be moving or at least have something occupying his brain during downtimes.

Her shoulder ached and pain shot through her whole arm when she moved it. Looking about herself she got the sense that something was amiss though, a growing sense of anxiety built up in her chest. It scared her into action. Disregarding her injury Beth moved to get up from the bed, she scooted down to the edge to stand and find her footing. She almost collapsed completely to the ground if not for the hall being so small that she could throw her hip into one side and use her good arm as leverage on the other.

Breathing deeply she tried steadying herself before even attempting a step. Beth counted to ten then started to walk, she felt funny almost walking bowlegged. She couldn't understand why though, it was her arm that was hurt not her legs.

Ignoring the strangeness of her limbs she walked on to see that Daryl cleaned everything up, it was almost like he became OCD while she was out. It was a funny image in her head thinking about him running around spraying Lysol and wiping everything to get rid of the dust. Beth snorted at the absurdity of her thoughts as she took in the small mobile home. Looking at more and more she started to feel like she had been here before.

It looked like a replica of Dale's mobile home actually.

Beth had only seen it once before, only vaguely glanced inside the place but it was like a printed out memory before her very eyes. She shook her head gently, next thing she'll know they'll be parked right outside the farm house. Again giving out a little snort and chuckle at her thoughts Beth moved forward to the door leading outside. She checked out the window first to make sure no walkers were nearby, it was dead silent outside, not a soul to be seen dead or alive.

That sense of something amiss came back to her. The blonde had been pretty out of it when Daryl brought her here but she remembered hearing the many groans and moans of walkers littering the place. There was no way Daryl had disposed of all the walkers lurking around this highway, he was good but not that good. Beth fiddled with the door handle for a moment finding it sticking in one spot like it was trying to keep her inside. She wouldn't put it past Daryl to try and lock her within for her own safety. A sweet sediment but right now all she wanted was fresh air on her skin.

With a hard shove that made her shoulder ache she got the door wrestled open to the point that it swung out hitting the side of the mobile home. Flinching at the loud noise it made that seemed like it was echoing in her mind over and over again Beth walked slowly, gently down the steps gauging her steadiness as she went. Wouldn't do to race out when she wasn't ready.

Taking one step at a time Beth looked around the highway to find barely any cars around. Wait. Beth stopped at the bottom of the steps. Where were all the cars? She could see two, three cars lying in rust and dirt but that was it. Shouldn't this place be filled with cars left forgotten?

"Daryl." Beth called out feeling unsure if she should leave the mobile home or not. Maybe this was Daryl's doing? Moving the other vehicles out of the way so they could use this one to get out of here, but that didn't explain where all the cars suddenly taken off too. There was no answer to her call sending a chill down her back. "Daryl!" She yelled out louder, fear gripping at her heart.

Still no answer back.

"DARYL!" Beth screamed at the top of her lungs knowing that she would be drawing in every walker from around but not caring the least bit. She finally stepped down to the ground walking away from the mobile home to look back and forth of the highway to see that it was truly empty. Then she heard it.

A snap of a twig.

Her heart rate shot through the roof as her wide eyes looked around trying to figure out where it came from. She turned back to the mobile home with the intention of hiding inside when there standing was the hunter. He smiled a crooked, creepy smile as he took her in. Beth stepped back once then twice, her eyes told her that it was a rifle in his hands pointed right at her. "Please." She pleaded feeling tears come to her eyes.

Where was Daryl!?

Beth took another step, she really didn't want to be shot again. She's barely gotten over the first time around. "Please don't shoot me…" Beth croaked with the most pitiful voice she ever heard herself produce. She sounded pretty pathetic.

The man only snorted like that was the craziest thing he had ever heard of. Then he aimed the rifle at her. Shaking her head 'no' she raised her hands up trying to show him she was unarmed, no reason to attack when she couldn't retaliate back. He only raised an eyebrow, then shot.

Crumbling to the ground Beth clutched her stomach crying out. It felt like a punch in the stomach but much worse, so much worse. Tears dripped down her face as she held her hands to her bleeding stomach. There was no way she would survive this ordeal, she was done for. Beth screamed loudly in anguish, then shouted out Daryl's name. The hunter laughed at her pain watching as she tried to crawl away from him.

Beth cried out as a boot slammed on her back forcing her bleeding stomach harder on the ground. "I'm gonna enjoy this." He whispered harshly pressing the barrel of the gun to her skull. His words echoed in her mind, repeating over and over again. Then he shot her in the head.

"AH!" Beth gave a blood curding scream as she shot up from the bed, her shoulder protested the movement but she ignored it. Daryl 'bout jumped out of his skin shooting up to a stand from his spot at the small table so fast he bumped his knee on the table. He ignored the pain though stumbling over to Beth to get her to stop screaming.

"Beth! Hey Beth! It's me, Daryl!" He tried talking over her screaming reaching out to grab her swinging arms. She looked so scared, downright terrified. Tears leaked out of her eyes as her face glowed red in the moon light creeping in. "Beth it's me!" He tried again grabbing her wrists then before he could comprehend what was happening she was pulling him in on top of her.

Daryl planted both hands on either side of her head as she pulled his body weight on top of her. He dropped a knee between her legs to keep balance as he tried pulling back from her. "No! Don't leave me Daryl!" The fear and horror in her voice made him stop. He allowed her to pull him down to his elbows where she buried her face into his neck and chest.

"Please don't ever leave me." She whispered tearfully into his neck, her hands latched tightly into fists in his shirt. Daryl made 'shh' noises trying to quiet her down.

"I won't leave ya, that was never a thought in my mind and it ain't ever gunna happen." His voice and words reassured her but she clung to him longer. Feeling him here with her brought her a better reassurance than anything else. That dream had been way too realistic for her tastes, it had to be from the pain or something. Daryl pulled away after a minute, his face red in the dim moon light coming through the window.

He didn't move far just to her side where he placed a hand on her forehead, a frown creased his eyes. "Yer mighty warm, more than usual. I thank ya might have a fever." Beth nodded, that would explain the horribly real dream she just had but now that he mentioned it she was feeling pretty hot. Her skin even felt sensitive to his touch. "Ain't nuthin' I can do fer ya till we get a workin' vehicle and hit the site. I guess the best thang ya can do is sleep it off."

"Okay." Beth looked out the window, she didn't much feel like sleeping though not after that dream. "Daryl, will you lay here with me for a bit. I don't wanna be alone." Turning her head back over to look at him she watched a small smile came to his lips, he looked exhausted like he would keel over any minute. He needed more sleep than she did.

"Sure, jus' till ya fall asleep tho." Daryl commented scooting further down the bed to lean his back against the back wall of the mobile home. Beth scooted back as best she could though her shoulder prevented much movement cause of the pain. It throbbed insync with her heart beat and there was a terrible headache forming in her head.

"Are ya worried that we'll never find anyone?" Beth asked softly lulling her head to the left to stare up at Daryl as she waited. His eyes were closed as he thought about his answer.

"It's crossed my mind a few times but I'm sure we'll come across someone. I ain't worried jus' anxious ta find 'em 'specially wit' freaks like those guys out thair." Beth frowned at the thought of the hunter. The look in his eyes as he stared down at her looked like he was more than ready to eat her alive. A shiver ran down her spine as she relived the look in her mind's eye.

"I'm afraid I'll never see my sister again. Ya know I didn't want her to go running off findin' others, I wanted to stay attached to the hip but," Beth felt her eyes water as she remembered it all, "she said we all have jobs like Daddy always said and we needed to do them…I don't want that to be the last thing she ever says to me…" Daryl shifted in his spot feeling a tad uncomfortable with the conversation. He knew what she was talking about though; his mind went back to Carol and even Merle. He never got to say anything to them and now their gone, one permanently and the other lost in this world.

"We'll find 'er Beth, I won't let that be the last thang ya both say ta each other. Ya'll both hug it out like ya always do." Beth brought her eyes up to see Daryl smiling lightly but his eyes still closed. The longer he reclined against the wall the more comfortable and tired he felt, if he wasn't careful he might end up falling asleep before she did. He had locked all the doors leading out so they were relatively safe but he didn't want to sleep.

The fear of waking up only to find Beth stone cold kept him from truly falling into oblivion.

"Jeez Daryl, sounds like ya don't like hugs to me." Daryl snorted lightly opening his tired, blood-shot eyes to connect with hers.

"As ya can tell I ain't exactly the touchy-feely type. Y'all can keep yer hugs and shit, I'm good." Beth laughed gently feeling more relaxed the longer she talked with him. They had gotten to become better friends while living in the prison but with her always being busy taking care of Judith and him always on patrol or hunting or doing a supply run it was hard to find time to interact between each other for more than a 'hello'.

Daryl wasn't much for talking though and honestly Beth liked it that way, it made what he said all the more important. He wasn't one to just talk for the sake of just talking like she did, he was probably the only one aside from her sister and her father who she could have a comfortable silence with. Anyone else and she feels like she needs to fill up the space with chatter, with Daryl though it was just a silent companionship that needed no words to mean more than what it was.

She was glad that she got stuck with him, if it had to be anyone aside from Maggie then Beth figured Daryl was the best person to be stuck out here with. He was loyal, an amazing tracker and hunter and very protective. Though she had been out of it during most of the trip here she could still remember the raw emotion of fear and hopelessness in his voice as he ran. He sounded so broken, so afraid. Beth wasn't use to hearing that type of infliction in his voice, Daryl has always been so strong even when uncertainty a raised. He was a level-head they could all count on. Seeing him being anything but that made her sad and fearful.

Beth hated it even more that she was the cause for it too.

Though her shoulder did not want to move she forced her hand to move across the small space between their bodies to attach her fingers to his jeans. She dipped her ring and middle finger into a gaping hole by his knee when her fingers brushed his hairy kneecap Daryl jumped at the contact but didn't tell her 'no' or push her away. Sighing she closed her eyes.

"You should get some sleep Daryl." The blonde commented as sleep started to slowly take over her, having him so close really did help her relax and now she could feel the fatigue seeping into her muscles and bones.

"I will soon, jus' wanna be sure ya'll be a'right." She hummed softly.

"See ya in the morning?" Beth said not sure if she was asking or stating. Daryl coughed, clearing his throat.

"Definitely." Smiling she allowed the sleep to overtake her once more.

Daryl stared down hard at the fingers buried into his jeans hole. Her fingers weren't touching his skin at all, just pulling his jeans away from his leg really. Damn he wanted to sleep so badly but he refused to give in. He needed to be strong for her, to pull through and make sure she survived the night into the next day. Still the fear that she might not wake up scared him half to death. He didn't like that she had a fever, it wasn't too hot but it meant her body was fighting an infection of some sort. It had to be from the gunshot wound, there was no other way unless she caught the flu but that just didn't fit with what they went through. Did he do the right thing by burning her wounds? Was all his efforts to save her all for nothing?

He sure hoped not, this was weighing too much on his heart right now. Andrea had told him that they couldn't survive this world alone anymore, he knew that to be true and if he lost Beth…

Sighing the redneck threw his head back to stare up at the ceiling.

Seriously, what was he going to do?...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: S**o there's a bunch of uncertainty going on with Daryl, he's not superman though we all like to think he is. Also I hope I gotcha with Beth's dream! I tried to give little hints like the place being cleaned, looking like Dale's RV and her legs feeling weird to let y'all know it wasn't real. Sadly the fever is only going to get worse on from here. Next chapter will be left on a cliff-hanger but I gave y'all a break with this one.

My biggest thought during the third season was why they didn't try to cauterize Hershel's wound? Really he's lucky to be alive after getting his foot chopped off and not get the stub infected. Watching that episode I was all like 'shit someone cauterize the wound!' But instead they gave him mouth-to-mouth and wrapped it up…anywho with limited resources they have to get down to the old nitty-gritty. Hope y'all enjoyed this installment! Please review!

Check ya later…

_**ALCzysz17**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Stronger**

**Chapter 6**

"Wha…" Daryl opened his eyes then creased them shut from the blinding light coming through the window. Groaning he rubbed a hand to his forehead then eyes wiping the sleep away. What time was it? Seeing the sun told him it was already morning but then that meant one thing.

He fell asleep…

Aggravation whirled in his chest as he sat up from his slouched position against the wall, his back popped loudly as did his neck from the awkward position. He felt worse off now than he had that night. Looking down to his right Daryl took in Beth sleeping soundly, her chest moving softly up and down with every breath. She survived the night. Though pissed at himself for falling asleep he was glad there were no repercussions from it, last thing he needed was to wake up to Beth being a walker and eating his hand off or something.

Her hair had loosen up from the tie as she slept pushing her long bangs into her face. Daryl pushed the strands away before placing the back of his hand against her forehead to feel her much warmer than she had been last night. He could also see sweat dripping down her neck and a bit on her brow. Beth definitely had a fever and he needed to get her medicine to break it. Sighing at the predicament he found himself in now he went to get off the bed when he felt something tugging him into place.

Daryl glanced down to see her fingers still clutching his jeans though loosely from last night. Glancing at her face told him she was soundly asleep so he slowly pried her fingers from his pants gently enough then set her hand down by her side for the time being. As he stood up more pops and cracks echoed around him, yeah he definitely felt worse off. Still he would just have to deal with the discomforts and pain, Beth was the priority right now. Her comfort came first especially with that burning fever.

As much as Daryl didn't want to leave her alone in here he needed to find a working vehicle, something to get them out of here and to the safe site. He couldn't remember if there were any meds there but there would be ammo and food, water most of all. He licked his dry lips grimacing at how dry his own mouth felt, his stomach grumbled for food but he ignored it. Daryl couldn't think of food during a time like this, he needed to find a car first then he would worry about food.

Looking back at Beth he watched as she turned her head to the side, sighing softly in her sleep. Hopefully she wouldn't have another dream like last night, her screaming nearly put him in the grave. She never did tell him what she dreamt about but he wasn't going to pry either, all Daryl needed to know was that she was okay and that she knew he would never leave her behind.

Except for right now but that was to find a vehicle…

Daryl reached down to grab his crossbow frowning when he saw that he only had one bolt left. Well shit that ain't good. He then looked at the hunter's knife left on the table as well. That would be more useful as he looked around but he didn't want to leave Beth without some form of protection, just in case so he opted to take his crossbow with his bolt in hand, it would work well enough to stab walkers in the head.

This misfortune they were having was starting to rub him raw, both physically and emotionally.

Checking out the window first he noticed there was one walker lingering around the mobile home while the rest were out of his sight, most likely further out and away. Daryl took a last brief glance at Beth then opened the door gaining the walker's attention. Turning to him he quickly disposed of the walker with a powerful thrust of the bolt into its temple. He pulled back then shut the door securely before looking around at his options.

As he searched among the cars there were a few things he took into account.

First, the car had to have all four tires with air in them. That did limit him some, during the hot summer season the concrete helped melt the tires rubber down leaving many of the cars utterly useless. Even the mobile home was of no good use to him.

Second, it had to be decent looking as in not looking as though the vehicle is ready to fall apart on him any second or full of rust stains. There was one car that looked absolute hell but the tires except for one were in good shape. Possibly Daryl would have to take the tires and replace them on a better looking vehicle.

Third, the most important aside from tires was if the battery still worked and would turn over. Strangely enough he found three vehicles that were missing their batteries as though someone had high-jacked them. He looked around slowly hoping there weren't any more people around, lying in wait.

The sun beating down on him didn't make his search any better, even less of a help were the constant walkers he had to take out whenever they came near. They were few and far between but they were still walking about, aimlessly. Finally after much searching, killing and sweating Daryl found a decent car that still had all its tires, battery and didn't look as though it would fall apart upon turning on. It was an old Saturn, an ugly green color leaning towards neon but it would do as long as it worked.

He took out another walker then opened the door to peek inside. Luckily someone didn't die inside the car like so many others. It smelled of stale air, heat and something that reminded him of something old. It could be the moisture in the cushions that gave it a mildew-y smell but as long as they kept the windows down they would live. A quick look over told him that the keys were not within the car which forced him to have to go under the dashboard and start it from there. Using the bolt he popped open the panel hiding all the wires from sight then stood out of the car to look about him. The mobile home was further ahead of him and he had a clear path in case something happened and he had to make a run to Beth.

Daryl found no walkers nearby, he had mostly taken them out as he moved but he could see a few on the other side of the road where a big stone medium blocked their passage over to him. Seeing that everything was in the clear he got down under the dashboard to see the wires all neat and bundled together. It took him a minute to remember what wires it took to hotwire a car, he hadn't done this shit since he was in junior high after Merle showed him. That was before he had gone off into the army, navy wherever the hell he went off to, all he knew was that his no good brother wasn't around for most of his junior and high school life.

It was probably best that way…

Using the bolt he was able to nick two wires apart. Daryl hoped they were the right ones too; there was no way Beth could walk in this hot sun with her fever. Taking the wires together he touched them lightly but nothing happened. Frowning he did it again and still nothing happened. Maybe it was the other wire? Fuck! Daryl used his blunt finger nails to push back the rubber coating protecting the wires then one last time brushed them together. The sound of the engine trying to start came to his ears making his heart thump fast against his chest. Finally two seconds later it turned over and started roaring to life.

His happiness was short lived though.

A hand on his leg startled Daryl into action; it gripped at his shin trying to pull his jeans off. He used his other foot and slammed it against the walker pushing them into the car opposite the Saturn. He pushed off the car flooring to stand then quickly forced the bolt into its eye socket taking it out for good. Now his heart was racing for a whole other reason. Breathing hard he looked around to see that quite a few walkers were starting to head his way.

This was not good…

Beth woke to sun baking on her face from the window. She groaned softly feeling sweat on her brow and on her neck, she was unbearably hot. Her mind felt fuzzy and disoriented like she was in a dream but she was pretty sure she was awake though. Her shoulder throbbed painfully even worse when she moved her arm, wrist, hand or even her fingers on that side. She didn't remember it hurting this bad yesterday?

It took all the strength she could muster to get into a sitting position without toppling over. Her head felt heavy, actually her whole body felt particularly heavy. Looking around Beth took in that she was alone, Daryl was nowhere to be found but that didn't seem to faze her though. Really she almost over looked it in her screwy mind. She hadn't felt like this in years, the last flu she had gotten was when she was ten years old. She could vaguely remember being sick for two weeks with blurry vision and dizziness.

She really hoped that didn't mean she would be puking as well.

Closing her eyes Beth counted to ten breathing softly and slowly through her mouth trying to regain some sense of time and mostly importantly balance. She felt like she was going to fall over on her left side which wouldn't be good since that was where she had gotten shot. Blinking a few times she looked down the small hall of the mobile home to see that her vision had improved but only slightly, at least it didn't feel like she was in a constant dream state.

With a lot of effort she managed to get to her feet and used the walls then counter to make her way to where she sat down at the table. Though she felt heavy in her head and body, her legs and arms felt light as though they were made of air and would float away without her. Maybe that's why she was so heavy, to keep her weightless limbs from going without her? The blonde snorted in mock humor then suddenly crackled throwing her head back against the window. Why the hell was that funny?

Beth lifted her right arm up over her head then laughed as it fell against her face hard from feeling suddenly so numb. Her nose hurt and so did her cheek but she did it again because it was something to do. Frowning after a second time around she felt like maybe she was losing her mind. Logical sense escaped her at the moment though so she just lolled her head to the right resting her cheek against the back of the seat as she stared into oblivion.

Not even the door slamming open startled her.

"Beth!" Daryl called out in a frenzy but she didn't respond. Actually she didn't even know who was calling out her name really; it was like a far off fantasy in her head. "Jesus Beth we gotta git goin'!" She cocked her head to the left side then gave him the most dazzling smile she could muster as her eyes shined upon seeing him. She always thought Daryl was cute, rough 'round the edges but cute for an older man, now though…

"Hi Daryl." Beth said breathlessly still smiling like she had just won the lottery instead of just looking at him. He felt perplexed by her stare and smile but didn't have time to think about it, maybe later.

"Beth come on girl, I got us a car workin' but we gotta hit the road." She nodded only half comprehending what he was telling her as she tried to stand up. Daryl raced around the small area grabbing the backpack that clanked from a pot being strapped to the outside then flung it over one shoulder and next was his crossbow over the other. She only watched mildly entertained by his rushing, what was the hurry? He grabbed the knife finally leaving that in his left hand before reaching out to take her hand. "Let's go."

Beth allowed herself to be pulled to her feet now noticing that her legs felt like lead this time around than floating making it harder for her to move. She clasped both of her hands around the hand that Daryl was tugging her along with as they got down the steps and she groaned under the hot weather. The humidity alone was killer but this sun baking down upon her only made it worse. Her feet tripped her up but she somehow managed to not pull Daryl down with her and they got over to a green car. She liked the color.

Daryl opened the back seat door throwing the pack in there then pushed her inside. She landed gracelessly on the seat landing her back on the backpack as the door shut at her feet. Beth felt the world shift in her mind. She quite suddenly felt sick. Daryl popped in the front seat put the car in gear and took down the lane that they had run through. He side bumped a walker as he went then unfortunately scraped the side of another vehicle as he forced the car through.

Peering through the rearview mirror he saw the walkers coming but they were practically safe now. He swerved between the lanes as he bypassed a few cars then the highway was clear for him to drive freely. Beth pushed the backpack from underneath her to the opposite side of the door then placed her head against it. She really wasn't feeling all that good anymore. She was suddenly feeling cold like she wasn't creating her own body heat at all. Not to mention she was feeling quite nauseous now too. The dizziness from earlier came back along with the world spinning around in her vision only further making her sick to her stomach.

Glancing over his shoulder Daryl saw Beth's face to see her eyes shut tightly along with her looking quite pale, more so than before. He gripped the stirring wheel as he sped on the highway. He looked up to see a sign indicating that he was heading in the general direction of the site, they had somehow gotten closer during his run with Beth in his arms than they had when they both were walking. Apparently he ran further than he realized.

"Beth ya a'right back thair?" She only groaned lightly in reply. That was not encouraging. "Are ya gunna be sick?" The last thing he wanted was for her to throw up in the car; he planned on holding onto the car for a bit longer. Beth opened her eyes slowly feeling them glazed over then blinked a few times.

"I just feel nauseous…and cold…" Beth wrapped her arms around her body shivering, her skin felt so sensitive. Daryl bit the inside of his cheek as we glanced between the road and Beth in the backseat.

"It's muggy as shit outside, I'll just open up the windows. Fresh air will do ya good." Plus he remembered being told by his mother that even if he was cold his body was hot and needed to be cooled down. He just wished there was a pond or lake nearby to drop her in. Beth shivered when the windows rolled down and the wind blew on her.

Slowly things started to go in and out of her vision, she even assumed she passed out and awoken a few times because she felt the passage of time in the way the sun changed positions out the windows and that the windows were mid-way down rather than fully. She felt like she was in a constant film reel that was breaking apart and fading, she heard Daryl say something but couldn't find the words to reply back or even begin to comprehend what he said in the first place.

Her eyelids would close and when Beth would open them again it was like an hour or so passed by. A sigh escaped her lips as her eyes shut again, then she woken only to find the car wasn't moving and her door opening by her feet is what woke her. Her vision was blurry so she couldn't tell what he was doing till he grabbed her ankles to pull her along the seat of the car closer to him. A hand touching her forehead made her flinch from how cool his hand felt against her.

Daryl cursed then pulled back his hand looking about himself. They had made it to the first site but he didn't see a person in sight, no one from the prison not even a few walkers. He wasn't sure the latter was a good thing or not. Turning back to Beth he watched as her eyes blinked slowly as though she was stuck in a dream like state between waking and sleeping. Her fever had gone up and it worried him more than he cared to think about, he needed to focus. Glancing around again he found the small barn that was one of three meet-up places, there he knew they had hidden some ammo, a weapon or two and food along with water. Medication though he wasn't sure they stocked here, he hoped he was wrong.

"I'll be right back Beth, don't go anywhere." Beth looked at him like he was cracking a joke or something. Rolling his eyes he slid her back in and closed the door behind him before making his way towards the barn. He had his crossbow on his back with a bolt in his hand ready to stab any walkers should they show up.

Pushing the door open he peeked inside to see that it was mostly empty aside from some bales of hay lying about. Daryl glanced back outside to see nothing out of the ordinary except empty forest around and the car. He then turned back to the barn walking further in. If he remembered correctly the hidden stash was underneath the hay in a knapsack. He got to work digging through the hay pushing it aside before finding the knapsack, smiling at something finally going right he snatched it up and quickly got out of the barn heading back to the car. Unzipping it he found a handgun, two boxes of ammo for the gun, four bottles of water and a few energy bars inside…but no medicine for Beth.

Opening the backseat door once more he looked to see Beth lying down still with her arm flung over her face and sweating profusely. Daryl unscrewed a bottle of water crawling over her to lean above her and feed the water to her. At first she refused turning her head away and hissing when he accidently spilled some water on her face and neck. "Beth its water." He stated then she opened her mouth allowing him to spill the water in.

She about drank most of the water in the bottle but that was alright, she needed it. Once done Daryl got back out to lean against the car and drink some water himself. It was quiet out here, not a soul to be seen for miles. It sort of worried him that he didn't encounter a walker since leaving the mobile home an hour and a half ago. Sure he seen a few while driving but there weren't any in the area at the moment, he hoped it would stay that way.

Daryl hated to do it but he needed to head to a town, some place where he could find the meds that Beth needed to break her fever. It was only getting worse from here and with the limited amount of water they had he couldn't afford to just let her drink all of it either. Sighing he pulled out an energy bar to munch on while he thought. There was a small town due west from here, he could easily walk there and back in thirty minutes or so. The only thing was he would have to leave Beth by herself.

He could just drive the car but that would also mean leaving her in the vehicle and if the town is infested with walkers that wouldn't be such a good idea. Also there was a chance that someone from the prison could make it here while they were gone and see that the stash was also gone then leave. At the very least with Beth here they would stick around, take care of her till he got back. Daryl groaned rubbing his head, he had to make a hard decision and he didn't like it. He would ask Beth for her input but she was so out of it, he tried talking to her a few times during the drive and she either mumbled some gibberish to him or just stared off into space.

He didn't like the way she stared off. It reminded Daryl too much of the times he found Merle high off his rocker, seeing things that weren't there and such. He hated being around his brother when he was high or on something, it wasn't him.

"Hay Beth." Daryl called out waiting to see if he got any sort of response. A weak "yeah" answered him back giving him some relief, at least she was more coherent now that she had water in her system. Leaning over the door he continued on, "I'm gunna head out ta a small town, I won't be long but ya really need meds bad…"

Beth blinked at him owlishly then nodded her understanding. "Okay, I'll be fine here." She looked a tad worried, remembering her behavior last night he also added, "I'll be back as fast as I can, I won't leave ya behind a'right." Smiling tightly she nodded again.

"I believe ya." Nodding he rummaged through the knapsack grabbing another bar and bottle for himself then giving her the rest. "Drink another bottle of water, it'll do ya good. Thair's a gun inside too I'll have my knife fer now."

"Yep, go on I'll be fine." She put up a brave face that was for sure. He thought about saying something more but couldn't think of anything else to say so he gave her a nod then started off from the car.

Daryl took in his surroundings first then pinpointed the direction he needed to go and went…

* * *

><p>Beth drank the second bottle to half way before stopping. The feeling of the water even though it was quite warm felt amazing on her throat, she really needed it. Sighing from the relief she leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. She felt tired though she knew she shouldn't be she had slept most of the way here and before too. Still she felt bone tired like she had been running around for hours; the sweat in her clothes didn't help either.<p>

She could really go for a nice cold shower. 'Hmmm, a shower sounds so nice…' Beth closed her eyes letting sleep overtake her. Luckily she didn't have any dreams it was more of a loose state of sleeping. Like she could still open her eyes and be awake but keep her eyes closed to get the rest her body needed. Just as she was starting to fall into a deep sleep she heard it.

A cry of a baby.

Beth shot up from her sleeping position barely seeing what was around her as she blinked away the sleep. Her shoulder gave off a dull throb but otherwise wasn't bothering her all that much anymore. Closing her eyes again she listened for the cry but heard nothing. Sighing Beth laid back down trying to go back to sleep. Just as she was getting there she heard it again, this time she knew she heard it too.

Getting up Beth opened the door by her head collapsing on the ground as she tried to get steady on her feet. Her shoulder throbbed harder from the fall but she ignored the shooting pain in her shoulder and arm only straining her hearing for the cry. Was that Judith? She didn't want to get her hopes up but she had to find out. Steadying herself with the door she took a deep breath then the blonde let go taking a few stumbling steps forward then another.

Closing her eyes again she listened intently for the cry.

After a minute she heard it again.

Beth took off at a run going in the direction she was sure she heard the baby's cry. It had to be Judith, there was no way someone else would be this close by with a child. It had to be her! Beth pushed against branches and bushes making her way through the woods trying to get to the sound of the cry that was suddenly so silent. She stopped briefly to catch her breath and to try hearing the cry again. Instead she heard something else.

"Bethy, what are you doing out here?" She froze opening her eyes to see nothing but trees around her.

"Daddy?" Beth whispered to the air spinning around herself. She heard his voice she knows she did! Tears welled up in her eyes as she called out again. "Daddy?" There wasn't a response back instead she heard the cry again. She went at a fast pace again not caring that her breathing was getting labored from her sickness and running, she didn't care she just had to find Judith and her father, they were out there!

Suddenly she tripped on a huge rock stumbling forward then landing into a small creek. Water splashed up on her drenching her tank and jeans, the water also woke her up. Slowly she got to her knees looking about herself for a moment as clarity opened her eyes. Beth never heard a baby's cry; it was only a vague memory just like her father's voice. It was all an allusion from her fever, she was hearing things. Tears spilled over her cheeks as a soft sob racked her body.

Beth brought her arms around herself as she cried. She didn't know why she was crying anymore, it probably leaned towards the fact that all she would ever have of her father was memories now, or even that she might never see Judith again. She wasn't sure what the cause for it was but she felt a sense of relief wash over her as she cried, like it was a cleansing of her soul. Throwing her head back Beth looked up into the canopy of the trees where little bits of sun shined through. She didn't know how long it took for her to collect herself but once she did she finally took notice of the trouble and horror she was now in.

She was lost in the woods.

She wasn't even sure if she could get back to the car or how far she had run. It was all a fuzzy dreamlike memory now. Beth cursed under her breath still not having the gall to say any of the words out loud like Daryl. Cupping her hands in the water she splashed it upon her face to help her focus more, the cool water felt amazing and though she was sensitive from the fever it did help. Beth stood then turning back the way she came, should she try to go back? Logically she knew that if you were ever lost in the woods you should always stay in the same spot but then no one knew she was out here plus there were walkers that could come along.

During her delusion she didn't even think to grab the small handgun from the knapsack so now she was weaponless aside from the little pocketknife and that would do much. Beth started to slowly head back the way she came looking on the ground and trying to make out tracks and whatnot, couldn't be too hard right? She only got a few steps back before she stopped. She could barely see any tracks she left behind, not only that but she had another issue.

Turning to her left and staring hard at the trees she heard the noise. A few groans to be exact. Straining her eyesight Beth was able to make out a few walkers further that way, possibly fifteen to twenty of them and they were heading her way. Gasping she turned back to the creek then looked around her. There was no way she could outrun that many walkers nor could she take them on either. She had to think fast otherwise she was dinner.

Beth glanced back at them to see they were coming her way but had yet to notice her too. Then the idea hit her, they haven't seen her yet and being soaked meant her scent wasn't as strong either so she would be able to climb a tree and hide up there without them suspecting a thing. Smiling at her brilliants she quickly found a low branch for her to climb up from. It took her much longer than she anticipated though with her shoulder hurting every time she lifted her left arm to reach for another branch.

Eventually though she got up high enough to watch the small herd walk right on by her not noticing a thing. They ambled by her slowly and she watched, waiting. Hopefully Daryl would be back soon enough to track her…again…

* * *

><p>Daryl made it to the town in recorded time, there were few walkers coming and going but nothing for him to worry about though. He killed about three on his way through. He checked a few places not finding much in the way of food or water but he did find a thing of Aleve in a desk drawer. Looking at it he noticed it was beyond expiration but it was the only thing he could find and it did have a few pills inside so he took it and searched more.<p>

There was a small pharmacy in the town but it was so thoroughly picked over that he was lucky to find an empty box much less medicine. The whole place was practically empty aside from the shelves, two dead people who had be decaying for so long they were probably casualties from the beginning of the epidemic and one lone walker that also joined the decaying couple. Daryl wiped the sweat from his forehead as he got out into the sun to see that it was getting on in the day, in about three hours the sun would set so he needed to head on back, he didn't like leaving Beth alone for so long anyway.

Anything could happen.

The way back didn't take nearly as long, probably because he was practically running during most of it. Daryl felt on edge, call it a sixth sense but he felt like something was off, wrong. Not wanting to take any chances he ran most of the way back by passing a walker or two on his way.

Once he caught sight of the barn and car he stopped running allowing himself to catch some breathe as he walked slower. He drank some water before leaning a hand against the hood of the car to take a deep breath. He didn't hear anything from inside so he supposed Beth was sleeping, well she was gunna wake up for this medicine, hopefully it would work still.

"Hay Beth, I'm back." Daryl said slightly winded as he peeked in through the cracked window. His breath hitched in his throat when he saw that it was empty and the other passenger door was wide open.

Beth was gone…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A**nother cliffhanger I know. The next chapter is gonna be a fun one though, very action-y! I was gonna dive further into Daryl's trip but I found it would get boring so I made it short. Also I've had a fever much like the one Beth has; I was mad sick when that happened too. Anywho let me know whatcha think! Check ya later…

_**ALCzysz17**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Stronger**

**Chapter 7**

_Beth was gone…_

Beth was fucking gone!

Daryl flung open the door barely flinching when it came flying back to him as he ducked his head into the car. Still she was gone, nowhere to be found in the vehicle. An ice cold chill ran down his back as goosebumps erupted on his skin. His heart rate doubled if not tripled and his breathing was far more labored than when he was running. The same horrible fear that creeped up on him when Beth got shot came back with a vengeance as he took in that she was really gone.

He ran around the car fast willing his eyes to focus on the ground to see if somebody had taken her. The thought of some unknown person kidnapping Beth came to Daryl's mind as he stared down hard at the ground. There was barely any type of track to indicate someone had walked there but as he took it in he realized no one had taken her at all.

Beth left on her own.

Daryl frowned deeply as he followed the tracks with his eyes towards the compressing woods around them. She took off on her own into the woods? That didn't seem completely right. Beth is a smart girl, he knew that for certain so she wouldn't just up and leave without good reason right? Daryl brought his thumb up to bite the tip as he tried figuring out her reasons.

"Fuck it." He then spat out making sure his crossbow was loaded up and his knife in his hand. There could be many reasons why Beth took off on her own one that scared him to death was the possibility that the last hunter had followed them and taken her. Either way he needed to go find her and bring her back. She was out there wounded and sick, she wouldn't survive for long.

Daryl followed the tracks Beth left behind he whispered 'thank you's' in his mind that she walked with such heavy footsteps which is rather amusing considering how tiny she is. He noticed twigs and leaves kicked up and crushed as he went along with her steps looking like she was swiping her feet along the ground telling him she was running with abandon. Thoughts of a pursuer came to mind but there were only her tracks and no other.

If she was running away from something it might just be her imagination. There weren't even walker tracks around.

Never again would he leave her alone that would not be an option anymore. Obviously she cannot be left alone and Daryl wasn't sure his heart could take more stress. Worrying about her was taking a toll on him and he wasn't so sure how good of thing it was. Maybe he was better off alone?

He wouldn't have to worry about anyone but himself. He was good enough that he could survive out here alone, everyone at the prison believed it. He and Michonne were the two everyone thought could make it through this world alone. Daryl didn't think much of it but now that it was just him and Beth the thought gravitated more and more into his mind.

Would it be so bad if he found Beth dead?

Daryl stopped abruptly as air got locked in his throat. How the hell could he think like that!? Of course it would be horrible if he did find Beth dead, the mere thought choked him but the fact that he was wondering if it was a bad thing scared him. Who the hell was he?

Sure the breakdown of the prison brought in a lot of questioning of his actions and what he was really fighting for but to act so…nonchalant about her death. Didn't he run for miles while she was bleeding out just to save her? Daryl leaned back against a tree bringing his eye sight up to the sky. He wasn't sure he knew himself anymore. Everything just seemed to be crashing down around him and he had no idea how to put all the pieces back together. His heart ached and honestly he felt incredibly lost on what to do anymore.

What if no one shows up at the next meeting site? Or even the third and final one? What if he and Beth were the only ones who survived?

There was just so much uncertainty weighing him down and then there's Beth who he felt he had to protect no matter what. She wasn't built to be out here like he was; she barely left the prison as it is. Daryl had to be strong for her but he wasn't sure he was truly that strong. He didn't have all the answers and half the time he felt like he was pulling shit outta his ass or making up answers to keep her going.

Daryl just felt broken down, empty and more than ever…lost…

Sighing deeply he pushed all his issues and worries to the back of his mind, right now was not the time to be hashing this shit out when Beth was still lost in the woods and in trouble. He needed to get a damn grip and move forward.

That was what Daryl Dixon does best, just keep moving forward.

Recollecting his mindset Daryl pushed on almost losing her tracks once but quickly finding them again. She traveled pretty far for someone clearly as sick as she is and it worried him that Beth might have dropped from exhaustion and be lying alone on the ground. He continued on pushing back foliage and being mindful of his surroundings.

That saved him from walking head first into a huge herd of walkers. He didn't have time to count but there had to be fifteen to twenty of them walking around aimlessly together as though pondering the meaning of life or something. Daryl almost had a chance to hide unseen but it was such a split second chance that he lost it and had to plunge his knife into the nearest walkers head gaining the attention of the whole herd in the process.

"Shit." Daryl cursed ripping his knife out to stab another walker in the nose that gave way almost entirely; it was like the cartilage had all but dissolved into mush. Seeing the herd making a U-turn back to him Daryl took off back the way he came, he didn't have time to take every single one of them out but he also didn't want to lead them to Beth if she was seriously hurt or out of it.

This week was just not his…

* * *

><p>Beth waited probably ten minutes maybe more before the entire herd had moved on. Luckily not one of them noticed her hiding in the tree and she counted her lucky stars that nothing bad had happened. It took her a while though to get down as her shoulder made things difficult. She tried her best to not use that arm so much but she couldn't exactly go without using both arms when climbing down a tree right?<p>

Her legs gave out on the drop down too; she collapsed to her knees and hands then completely to the ground on her chest when her shoulder gave out. Beth groaned softly feeling a bit woozy and dizzy. She closed her eyes to gain back some semblance of focus as the world sort of spun in her vision. She kept her ears wide open to noises and sounds all around her as she laid there.

Wouldn't that be a sight for Daryl to find her in? Lying on the ground helpless as she is?

Beth wondered if that was what Daryl thought of her as, helpless and pathetic. She sure felt like she was. The thought that someone so strong like Daryl could possibly be thinking so little of her hurt more than she thought it would. She had always admired him back at the prison. Everyone could depend on Daryl to get them meat, to save their butts when it counts and to always know what to do in a tight situation.

And yet he was stuck with her of all people.

She didn't like to think so little of herself but Beth knew where she was lowest on the totem pole, if not for taking care of Judith and sometimes the other kids of Woodbury then she would be at the very bottom, just one up from a walker. She wasn't cut out for life out here in the woods fighting walkers and trying to survive in the dirt and grime. How did she live so long in this new world?

Well that was easy she rode on the backs of Rick, Daryl and her sister, Maggie for protection and shelter. Maybe she was better off on her own without Daryl? Then she would be forced to survive it all and die pathetically if she really wasn't cut out for all this. Who would care? Her father and mother were gone, her brother and for all she knew her sister were gone. Hell even her first boyfriend and best friend before that was gone including her second boyfriend, Zack. Who was to say that Daryl wouldn't be gone too?

Beth opened her eyes slowly to make sure her vision wasn't swimming in tears or doing loopy-loops then she used her good arm to help get her to her knees. Why was she doing this to herself? Taking out all her stress and heartache on herself wasn't healthy and it would only lead to two things.

Death or self harm.

Beth did not want to go down that route again. She flipped her scarred wrist upwards to her face to gaze upon the thin slightly dark line. It was slowly getting lighter as the days and months wore on soon enough it'll be nothing but a faint white scar and memory and that was how she wanted to keep it too. She needed to be strong if not for herself then for Daryl. She couldn't constantly place everything on his shoulders like she was doing, he would eventually break.

"I can be strong…" Beth voiced out softly to the air around her. She breathed out deeply then lifted herself up to her feet before turning around.

A grunt left her mouth as she was suddenly slammed into the very tree she climbed out of. The bark dug into her back as her vision became spotty, what just happened?

Beth pushed back against her assailant stabbing her elbow into his chest only to get shoved to the ground. She kicked out her foot to his leg knocking him down to one knee then tried to scramble backwards out from underneath him but he was too fast. He grabbed her arm connected to her wounded shoulder gaining a sharp cry of pain as he yanked her up to him. It was like getting shot all over again.

The blonde remembered a move her sister taught her back when she was younger in case she ever got attacked by someone stronger than her. Quickly Beth pushed up the heel of her hand into the man's face trying to hit his nose but clipping his chin instead, still it gave her the release she desired. He pulled back and she flipped around to her knees then feet running across the creek beside them. She got only a foot from the creek before he slammed into her from behind throwing his entire weight on her into the ground.

The air was knocked out of her lungs and it was made worse by the weight on her body. Just as Beth thought she was going to suffocate he got off her only to turn her around to face him. With the afternoon giving way to the coming night she couldn't make out the shadows on his face to see who he was. She felt a hit on the side of her temple and everything slowly grew dark.

The last thing Beth saw was the hand that hit her pulling back, she noticed his forearm completely wrapped up in bloody bandages.

Wonder who did that to him?...

* * *

><p>Daryl used a low riding branch to swing over a fallen tree as he ran from the herd. They were slowly falling back not able to keep up with his fast movements and beating heart. They would keep going forever though and soon he would have to rest, so devising a plan Daryl forced his legs to run at top speed to gain ground from the walkers then he whipped around to head back the way he came. It was a good thing he had been heading further off Beth's trail as he ran.<p>

He was able to recognize his surroundings enough to know that he had gone through this area looking for Beth but as he tried to retrace his steps back to her he was at a lost.

The damn herd had all but trampled over her tracks covering them with their owe footsteps. Daryl gripped his hands into fists at the sight then kicked one of the walkers he killed before a few times to let his anger and aggression out. He was fucked. The best he could do at this point was try to locate her tracks further up where the herd hadn't walked all over.

That proved to tell Daryl that the herd had literally walked through the way she went, probably sniffing out her scent and following it backwards. That only left one question though.

Why weren't they following forward?

It was possible he supposed that she could have killed a walker and covered herself to hide her scent; Rick had made sure everyone knew how to camouflage themselves if they were ever in a tight predicament. The more gruesome answer was…they had gotten to her first.

Daryl dismissed that answer quickly though. If the walkers had gotten a meal out of Beth before coming across him they would have fresh blood on their mouths and hands, not only that but they would be energized by the meal and move much faster than they had. In short that herd hadn't come across human flesh in probably a few weeks or so.

That settled his heart rate some as he continued forward trying in vain to find her tracks. Worst yet was the lingering light of the sun was slowly ebbing away as afternoon turned to evening. Before long he'll be walking around in the dark. Daryl nibbled on his bottom lip as he moved along he wasn't sure what he would do if it turned to night and he still hadn't found Beth yet.

A part of him, the one before answered his uncertainty with, 'well ya tried yer damnest and that's all that matters in the end' and then added, 'she should of kept her ass in the car like ya said'. Still Daryl knew deep down in his heart that he would never give up on finding her. Even if he was left wandering around in the darkness running into trees and such he would still keep going.

He wondered briefly if he needed Beth more than she needed him.

Daryl stopped as he took in a small stream, more like a creek really and dropped down to his knees. In his hast to find Beth he had allowed his water bottle to drop from his back pocket along the way and now he was in dire need of water for his throat. All that running only made it worse too.

He stared at the water slowly trickling down the creek wondering if it was safe to drink before he shrugged. He'd had much worse growing up and it was relatively clean looking, at least it was clear enough so he cupped his hands together and brought the liquid to his mouth to sip into his throat. It tasted okay, better than nothing honestly and it did what he needed it to. Three more scoops of water later and he splashed some on his face to help clear his mind.

A heavy sense of turmoil came over him as he stood on the balls of his feet with his arms hanging over each knee to stare out into the surrounding woods. As much as he didn't want to think about it there was a real fact that he just might not find Beth at all. Facing the facts it was getting dark soon probably in an hour and a half it'll be nighttime but that didn't mean it wouldn't get darker and harder to see as night approached. Finding her in the dark was not a good idea no matter how much he wanted to and it didn't make sense to put himself at risk at night if she wasn't going to be alive in the end.

Daryl looked down to his left in thought. He wasn't one for hope, barely had any before the end of the world and now he damn near had none and with Beth, who was so full of hope it overridden his lack of any, gone it just wasn't looking very good in the end.

Maybe he should give up?

Still staring off on his left he got to a stand stretching out his arms above his head. It was then that he noticed that the ground looked slightly matted over there. Looking at it he turned his body towards the area then walked over slowly as though he was coming upon a squirrel or rabbit. He crouched down looking at the area to see two different boot prints; he recognized one of them immediately.

It was Beth's footprint alright and some unknown one. Daryl didn't like the sight of another set of footprints so close to Beth's and seeing the ground only slightly matted it looked like there was a struggle. Daryl felt like lead pitted down into his gut the same feeling he got when Beth had been shot only worse.

His sharp eyes then pinpointed some of the dirt around the creek was still damp meaning someone stepped into it splashing water up. He walked over the creek to the other side to see another sign of struggle then his narrowed eyes picked up the heavy boot prints of one person leading further into the woods. Daryl grinded his teeth together as he looked up to see further through the trees. Someone attacked Beth then picked her up and walked away with her, probably knocked her out. He couldn't see her being complacent after the obvious struggle she gave against her foe.

Daryl stood up feeling another onset of adrenaline course through his veins. That pot of almost empty hope just got a smidge fuller as he tracked the trail through the trees, the unknown person walked light on their feet but not light enough that he couldn't make out the tracks he left behind. A sense of déjà vu came over Daryl as he followed the trail.

Why did he feel like he had done this before?

Staring down hard at the prints it only took him a minute for the realization to dawn on him. It was like when he was trying to find Beth after the hunters appeared the second time around, they walked light on their feet much like him but they clearly didn't have the experience he did and so left only a light dusting of a trail. Staring down darkly at the trail leading him to its owner Daryl wondered if that last hunter had seriously followed them all the way out here and so, how?

He did take out two of his men so doing it for revenge seemed about right but why take Beth and go? Wouldn't he want to show Daryl that he had something he cared about? The thoughts swirled around his skull as he walked, slowly creeping along to stay quiet.

Somehow he figured there was more to the hunter than he had first thought; he just hoped it wouldn't cost Beth her life…

* * *

><p>There was an echoing of throbs throughout her head and her shoulder when she started to wake. Beth slowly opened her eyes to see it was dark all around her and a fire was crackling only a few meters away from her. She breathed slowly trying to figure out if she was okay or not physically but she didn't want to move in case the man who attacked her was around or watching her.<p>

It became a moot point though when she looked across the fire to see him sitting on a fallen tree watching her. Her heart jumped into her throat beating wildly in her chest as she connected eyes with him. He stayed silent just watching her, gazing at her as she slowly tried to get up. That's when she felt her hands were pinned behind her, crudely tied with rope that scratched her wrists when she tugged at it. It took her a good minute to pull up from the ground to sit on her butt with her legs curled towards her.

The fire crackled and popped in the silence between them. Beth looked about herself to see it was definitely dark out and she couldn't make anything out at all, she guessed that it was a moonless night too. She then turned back to the man to notice that she could make out his face better. He had dirt on his face along with a hook nose and high cheek bones. His hair was dirty as well, probably hadn't been washed since before the world became populated by walkers.

Beth didn't like the way he stared at her, it sent shivers and chills down her spine and left a bad taste in her mouth. He stared at her like she was something good to eat.

"Who are you? Why did ya attack me?" Beth asked deciding she mind as well get some answers while she was stuck here with him. He raised an eyebrow looking quite amused by some inside joke playing in his head. She didn't like the look he was giving her now.

"I'm the hunter and yer the prey." He replied back with a creepy light southern accent, barely an inflection of an accent much like her own. Beth swallowed at being called 'prey', her stomach churned at the thought of what type of prey she was to him. Glancing at his wrapped up arm she continued her questioning.

"What happened to yer arm?" He looked down at it in thought then turned to her again with this hostile, psychotic gleam in his eye.

"Why yer friendly crossbow wieldin' companion done that ta me." He then licked his lips slowly, thoughtfully. Beth tried to keep from trembling as she realized this was one of the hunters from a day ago. Her fear must have been apparent because he smiled delightedly. "Now don't be scared I won't bite…hard…" The last word came out harsher in comparison to the rest of the sentence that was spoken lightheartedly.

"You attacked us, you were huntin' us! Why!?" Beth tried to find some sort of compassion within this man but found nothing but amusement at her words and…hunger…

"Ya look sweet enough ta eat ya know that, not much meat on yer bones but I've gone off with worse." Her mouth was suddenly dry at his statement. What did he mean he had gone off with worse? He watched her with such patience like he could wait forever for her to respond back like he knew she was hesitant to ask her next question.

"Why does it matter if I have meat on my bones or not?" Her voice asked softly, Beth was pretty sure she didn't want to know the answer to her question. The hunter leaned forward on his knees closer to the fire that it casted shadows on his face making him look eerily spooky.

"I'm the hunter…and yer…my prey…" Beth started wiggling her hands around the rope trying to escape the binding but only causing rope burn and rash. Her heart beat rapidly against her ribs as she realized with great clarity that he intended to eat her.

As in this hunter is a cannibal!

Beth gulped. She was truly in deep shit now. The memory of the other hunter saying she looked good enough to eat made even more gruesome sense and the fear that she was going to be eaten alive by a living, breathing person made her feel faint. Sweat dripped down her forehead from both her fear and the heat of the fire. Where was Daryl!? She needed Daryl!

She should never have run from the car in the first place! Now she was dead for sure, there was no way Daryl could track in the darkness but by now he had to know she's out here right? Beth squeezed her eyes shut tightly hoping, praying that he would appear to save her like he had done before. But that was so much to ask for wasn't it?

It's only been three days since the fall of the prison and she had depended on Daryl left and right for food, shelter and protection while she gave him nothing in return but stress and probably a very high blood pressure issue too. It was time Beth started getting herself out of trouble, she ran out here and now she needed to depend on herself to save her life. Setting her jaw she fixed a glare at the hunter causing him to look amused again.

Fuck him!

"I'm not your prey!" Beth grounded out now slowly working her hands on the rope behind her instead of wiggling and straining against it in her panicked state. The hunter smirked at her almost like he wanted to come over and pat her on the head like she was a child.

"Oh trust me dear, ya are."

Then the familiar noise of a crossbow going off startled the hunter into action. Beth watched as an arrow shot into the ground just before the fire. The hunter had moved just moments out of the line of fire twisting around then rolling around the fire to take Beth into his arms with a gun pointed right at the temple of her head. His hand dug tightly into her wounded shoulder to which she whined at the pain but was kept standing by his hold.

Slowly Daryl appeared from the dark his crossbow still held up to shoot but with no arrows rigged up. Beth realized that was his last arrow and without anymore he really didn't pose a threat to the hunter. She might actually, really die.

Still posed to shoot Daryl kept a stern eye on the hunter as he cocked the gun at Beth's head.

They were now stuck in a standstill…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: C**liffhanger galore! I know, I know I truly suck I know. Another cliffhanger, are you kidding me! No, no I am not. Sorry but as I was writing down chapter by chapter summaries and such this was how they came out. Honestly I think it's nice, keeps y'all coming back for more! Hahaha, yah I'm probably going to lose a lot of readers now.

Anywho I did take some elements of the recent episode 'Still' for both of Daryl's and Beth's thought processes if anyone noticed. This is just one step closer to them becoming stronger (lol the title) and surviving out here alone with each other. I figured at some point Daryl would wonder if he should just go on alone but he has too much loyalty to do that plus he cares about Beth and she's even thought he was better off without her too.

Of course I'm sure everyone had figured out the hunters were actually cannibals like in the comics, I keep reading that Daryl and Beth are going to happen upon that group probably in the coming episode 'Alone' and a lot of people are saying Beth gets eaten. I no likey those comments. Anywho I hope y'all enjoyed this installment and the next chapter will be coming in the next week and a half!

Let me know whatcha think!

_**ALCzysz17**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Stronger**

**Chapter 8**

_They were now stuck in a standstill…_

Daryl looked irate and glowering with anger as he stared down the hunter holding Beth so tightly to him. The hunter stared right back with his half manic grin and a wild gleam in his eyes. He made a show of sniffing Beth's hair running his nose down the side of her head as she cringed from the feel of him. His hands shook only slightly as he gripped his crossbow harder. He wished more than anything that he had another arrow ready to fire because he wanted this bastard dead.

The hunter was quite the brute too, much larger than Daryl was which made sense considering how damn far he dragged Beth's unconscious body to this make-shift campsite that was so far off from where they had started. Daryl was almost certain he wouldn't find them in time as the night darken the woods around him but he persevered not knowing the words 'give up' once he knew who had taken her and traveling in the damn darkness to find her.

Beth looked nervous and fearful not to mention in pain as the hunter held her in place. The gun was pressed tightly to her temple with the hunter's finger on the trigger ready to blow her brains out if he made the wrong move. Daryl cursed in his mind as he took in the situation they were in. There was no way they would get out of this unscathed.

"Whatcha gonna do now fellow? Ain't got no more arrows ta fire with, can't do nothin' but stand there tryin' ta be scary." The hunter taunted lightly at Daryl every word was a bout of laughter directed at him. He felt red in the face as his arms shook from anger.

"Tch I don't need no damn arrows ta beat yer ass, I can do just that wit' my own damn hands." Daryl stated heatedly lifting the strap of his crossbow over his shoulder then dropped it without a care to the ground beside him. The hunter watched with his eyes then replaced his gun back in his holster only to then produce a knife much like his. Beth flinched as he waved the menacing blade in front of her face.

"What would ya do with just yer hands huh?" He inquired placing the coldness of the blade flat against her cheek. Beth sucked in air tightly through her mouth trying to keep from wiggling away from the blade, she turned her eyes to connect with Daryl's as his hands fisted at the fear he could see in her eyes.

"I'd rip yer Goddamn heart out if ya had one." The hunter made an 'oh' sound chuckling lightly in humor. He then lifted the knife from her cheek looking it over briefly before lightly nicking her skin just between her shoulder blade and her neck. Beth hissed at the sting as Daryl felt his blood begin to boil, it had been so long since he had felt such rage it took him by surprise. This man was just fucking with them, with him.

"She's very exquisite don't ya think? I bet she tastes even better." Beth felt her jaw drop in horror as the hunter's mouth came down on her skin sucking up the blood that swelled from the little wound he inflicted on her. Daryl's nostrils flared in rage and he shook from barely being able to contain it.

Seeing this disgusting excuse for a human being touching Beth the way he was and even sucking on her own blood made him quiver with anger, he was just barely holding back from jumping over the fire and gutting the fucker where he stood. His vision narrowed in on the hunter's mouth brushing and sucking on her skin as Beth turned her head away in her own disgust. She looked so violated and helpless, she looked scared.

"So good. Wonder how her meat will taste like?" The hunter then shocked them both in two totally different ways when he suddenly sunk his teeth into her shoulder. Daryl jumped over the fire in a blur of anger slamming into the hunter as his teeth released her.

Beth fell to the ground crying out as she landed on her wounded shoulder and even more so as blood dripped onto her neck. The damn beast took a small chunk out of her! It stung and burned painfully. She turned over to her back gasping for air and seeing Daryl fighting the hunter on the ground near her. The fire felt scorching hot on her shoulder as she was so close to it, turning her head she watched as the hunter flung Daryl to the ground then got on top of him.

Daryl was a fighter though, actually more of a brawler to be exact. He swung a punch at the man's face connecting hard with his jaw and forcing him off. Then he was up and attacking him again. Beth turned over on her newly hurt shoulder ignoring the pain shooting through her nerve endings as she worked on getting out of her bindings. She needed to help Daryl and she couldn't do much with her hands tied behind her back. Luckily the heat from the fire helped to produce sweat on her hands and wrists making it easier for her to try and slip out of the rope. She kept her eyes trained on them while she worked. She pushed the fear and anxiety back from the forefront of her mind, she needed to hurry!

Daryl grunted in pain from a fist connecting with his stomach causing him to double over then an elbow slammed down on his neck taking him down to the ground. He flipped over on his back quickly though dodging a heavy boot to his head and instead grabbing it to bring the man down to the ground as well. The hunter punched Daryl in the face almost blacking out his vision for a mere second then he was responding in kind with a fist of his own though it only connected with the man's shoulder. Daryl reached up grabbing the hunter's hair to bring him down then maneuvered on top of him ready to beat him with a few punches.

Beth wrenched her hand free of the rope and got up as fast as she could while watching as the men fought fist for fist with each other. She looked around trying to find something to attack the hunter with and help Daryl out then her eyes located his crossbow. The arrow! She ran around the fire grabbing the arrow as it was still in the ground then ran to the crossbow. Beth struggled with pulling the cord back but she needed to hurry, her eyes lifted up to see how well Daryl was fairing.

The hunter proved to be as sturdy as he looked and not only took his punches but managed to flip them over again with Daryl underneath. He grabbed his knife that was lying on the ground beside them from their fighting then tried to bring it down on Daryl's throat. He caught the blade with both hands trying to keep it from coming down on him. He was feeling weak from all the fighting, hits and plain exhaustion of that day. His hands and arms shook as he used whatever strength he had left to keep the blade at bay but the hunter was stronger and was putting more pressure behind the hilt bringing the sharp tip closer to his throat.

"Ha, ha! Once I kill ya I'll not only taste more of 'er beautiful flesh but I'll also have my way with 'er over, and over, and over! I'll make 'er scream and cry, cry for 'er friend who died by my hands!" The hunter crackled sinisterly, smiling widely down at Daryl as he put more of his weight on his arms and hands forcing the blade closer to his throat.

He lifted his eyes from the blade to glare with so much abhorrence at the hunter, the saying 'if looks could kill' echoed in his mind. If he was going to go out like this then he wanted the bastard to see all the hate and anger he felt for him. But he wasn't going to give up, he would never give up if it meant Beth would get hurt or killed, she is his responsibility and he was going to protect her no matter what! Daryl pushed back against the blade using all the strength he wasn't so sure he had anymore to keep the knife at bay.

Daryl then blinked once after witnessing his bolt slamming right through the hunter's skull barely managing to exit through the other side. His body slumped then dropped on him lifelessly though he was quick enough to point the knife away from his throat. Daryl took a second to breathe and process what just happened then shoved the heavy body off of him.

Turning his eyes to his right he gazed upon Beth shaking with the crossbow in her arms, fear etched on her face and blood seeping into her clothes from her bleeding shoulder. Their eyes connected for a brief moment then he was bringing himself to stand unsteadily on his feet. He only had a second to get his balance together before Beth's body slammed into his clutching around him and holding him to her.

Tentatively Daryl placed a hand on her back keeping her close to his chest as the other rubbed the back of her head soothingly. It took him a minute to realize she was crying into his chest. "Beth it's a'right, I'm fine…we're fine…" Beth shook her head against him.

"I thought I was dead, I thought you were gonna die! But I knew I just knew you would come!" Her words were only slightly muffled from his chest. Daryl looked around them for a moment making sure it was just them here; it would be bad if any walkers heard the commotion and came right by. Sighing deeply he looked down at her head then her bleeding shoulder.

The wound looked nasty with blood slowly gushing out; he could even make out the ridges where the hunter had taken a small amount of her flesh off of her. His gut dropped and burned at the realization that he had seriously bitten her like an animal, like a walker. Daryl patted Beth on the back then tried to step back from her but she wouldn't let him go. "Beth yer shoulder's bleedin'; we need ta check it out."

Beth was reluctant to let him go she was so close to losing him it scared her to damn near death. She was afraid if she let him go he would disappear on her and she just couldn't handle that. Even after her stupid thoughts that he was better off without her around she wasn't better off without him, she needed him for more than just protection, without realizing it he was helping to keep her grounded and here. He was her lifeline in this uncertain and scary world and the thought of him being gone made her sick to her stomach. Watching him struggle with the hunter's knife trying to keep it from piercing his throat terrified her to her bones.

She had been too close to losing him, way too close. Beth just couldn't handle that, sure their lives were almost always in some sort of danger even more so now that it was just the two of them out here without any home at the moment but it hadn't really dawned on her till she lifted the crossbow to point at the hunter's head and see how close that sharp tip was to Daryl's skin, to his throat. She had never shot a crossbow before, never envisioned that she would get too much less use Daryl's. It felt gratifying when she pulled the trigger; Beth felt immense pleasure in watching the arrow go into the hunter's skull just below his temple thus killing him almost instantly. He never knew what hit him.

Sighing softly feeling like she was trying to push the last of all those feelings out of her system she finally let him go stepping back and looking up at him.

Half his face was starting to swell up and he looked like he might have a black eye forming but overall he looked okay, he was gonna live. Beth reached up to wipe tears off her cheeks with the heel of her hand wincing when it made her shoulder sting from the movement.

"C'mon let's clean that shoulder up."

Beth ended up sitting with her tank top's strap hanging off her arm as Daryl used whatever clean looking clothe he could find from the dead hunter's belongings. He was even able to find some water to help clean the wound off too. The wound from what she could see was more superficial than anything else, it would heal just fine more than likely scar but it wasn't life or death. Searching through the things littering the small camp the hunter had made they were able to fine some medical supplies like bandages to help patch her up. Daryl then pulled a thing of pain meds out of his pocket, the container was cracked and the plastic slightly warped from the scuffle he was in but overall intact.

"Here, only thang I could find fer yer fever." Daryl said softly handing the whole thing to her then the bottle of water. Beth swallowed two pills and a good gulp of water to wash it down as he put everything together in the new backpack. Honestly she didn't feel sick anymore and even checking her temperature via the back of her hand to her forehead she came to the conclusion that her fever was going down, though that didn't mean the medicine he found wouldn't help.

"Thanks Daryl." He only shrugged not bothering to say anything else as he packed up. "I'm serious; I owe ya for my life, again." Daryl reached down to check the gun he upholstered from the hunter's hip, checking the barrel to see how many bullets were in the chamber as he responded back.

"It ain't nuthin' Beth. Ya saved my life too, it's what we do." Beth nodded bringing her eyes down to the fire.

"Yeah, we got each other's backs right." She looked up to meet his eyes he stared down at her for a good minute then nodded a smile just barely lifting the corner of his mouth up.

"Yep." Daryl then pulled the holster off of the hunter's body fixing it on his hip and placing the gun in. He looked about himself taking in the surroundings and then sky overhead, it was definitely a cloudless night but also a moonless night. "Damn, new moon tonite. We'll stay here till mornin' then head back ta the car." The blonde nodded in agreement.

Daryl came over sitting down on the fallen tree beside her but keeping a good amount of space between them. She looked pretty tired, he felt like death to be honest but he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. He could let her get some sleep but he would stay awake and watch out for walkers for the rest of the night, he even stated so to her later on letting Beth use the pack for her head then somehow fall asleep blissfully. He figured the meds had something to do with that.

He leaned over his knees staring at the fire that was slowly dying down as the night wore on. It was then that everything that had happened settled in his mind. If not for Beth's quick thinking of loading up his crossbow and shooting the hunter in the head he would surely be dead. Sure he was starting to make progress in pushing back and he was even trying to turn the knife on the hunter but he just wasn't so sure he would have succeeded. And if he did get hit by the knife there was no way he would survive a neck wound like that.

There have been plenty of close calls during the last year and a half this one had been uncomfortably close. Too close.

Though it seemed like since the fall of the prison everything had been hitting the wall with the hunters and Beth getting shot but they had also been lucking out time and again. Daryl wondered when their luck would run out?

It just felt so damn hopeless trying to live right now. If it wasn't one thing like the walkers then it was another like the hunters or lack of water and food, lack of shelter, lack of their people, lack of hope. Daryl felt like ripping his hair out as the stress built up on his shoulders. The thoughts from before bombarded him now that he was sitting in silence and could focus on his thoughts. What was the damn point anymore really? All they were doing was holding off the evitable, death. Fighting to live so damn hard was losing its appeal if everyone he cared about would just die in the end.

This world just wasn't meant for hope anymore, for the living.

Daryl never prayed; stop doing that shit when he was younger after he realized God wasn't listening to him at all. He didn't care to try now either, same damn results as before a lot of hoping and praying only to get nothing but despair and a bunch of cynicism. Lately he had been more on the positive side, feeling optimism about their situation at the prison. After bringing the Woodbury people there everything seemed to be looking up for them.

They found livestock, a horse, they were finally making the prison seem like a home, a place to fight for and live in. A place to keep coming back to. They weren't losing people to walkers for a while, everything was running smoothly and it was like everything was finally right in the world, or at least that's what he was seeing.

Apparently that wasn't so true because before he could blink everything fell apart so easily. He should have kept searching for the damn Governor with Michonne. He should have been more alert, on his guard rather than relaxing it. He should have let Carl take that damn shot!

Daryl groaned burying his face into his hands as guilt settled like a rock in his gut. Hershel might still be alive if he allowed the kid to take the shot he had, hell if he had taken it too. They were both in the position to take it but no he wanted to not shed blood, he wanted to settle things with words not violence. In the end it cost a man his life and their home, and possibly more lives. For all he knew Beth and him were the only survivors.

He looked down at her seeing her face smoothed out in slumber, no nightmares to scare her awake tonight it seemed. What if they were the only ones? Daryl closed his eyes tightly, he needed to grab that small bit of optimism he had before and hold on to it, they couldn't be the only ones.

They just couldn't…

* * *

><p>Beth woke to the smell of smoke blowing in her face. She coughed lightly waving it away from her nose with her hand then slowly got up. She ached all over from head to toe but she was alive and that's all that mattered. Feeling her forehead she felt that her temperature had gone down further, she wasn't feeling as sick anymore either another good sign that she was getting better. For a split second there Beth was sure she was a goner with that fever she was rocking, luckily that was not the case no short thanks to Daryl that is.<p>

Speaking of the man she looked over to the log to see him gone then around the area but he was nowhere to be seen. Her heart jumped into her throat but she withheld from shouting, he couldn't have gone far and the blonde also knew he wouldn't just up and leave without her.

"Glad yer up, we should start headin' out." Beth jumped turning back around to see Daryl coming out from behind some trees; he was bringing up his zipper with his head down indicating he was taking a wiz. She laughed lightly at her stupid panic and shook her head. "What's so funny?" He inquired arching a brow at her.

"Nothing, nothing." Beth waved him off then slowly; achingly slow really, got to her feet feeling out her whining muscles as she went.

"Thank ya could manage walkin' back?" Daryl asked next placing the new pack on his back. She looked up to nod but stopped as she took in his face in the dawning light. Daryl looked much worse than he had last night, his face was still swollen looking, she couldn't tell if it had gone down or not and he was definitely sporting a black eye too. There was a cut on his bottom lip as well. As she stared at him she watched as a frown creased his lips and eyes before she realized how long she had stared at him without answering.

"Y-Yeah, sure." Daryl turned away from her making sure everything on him was secure.

"Do I really look that bad?" Beth gulped wondering if she should lie, but then that was stupid so she nodded.

"Ya look like you were in quite the battle." He rolled his eyes at her comment then started to kick dirt up on the smoldering fire. "I'm sure the swelling will go down though." She added softly, Daryl only shrugged in return.

"Don't matter ta me, ain't like I'm tryin' ta win a beauty pageant or somethang."

"Well then how do I look?" Beth placed her hands on her hips as she asked. He looked her up and down from head to toe and embarrassingly she started to blush under his scrutiny. A strange warmth came over her chest as his eyes slowly took her in then connected with hers.

"Ya look fine all thangs considered. Let's head out."

As they walked through the woods Beth tried to will the blush off of her skin. She didn't understand why she was reacting that way to him, Daryl had stared hard at her before and she felt nothing then so why did it bother her now? She rolled her eyes as the thought that she had only ever acted this way was around any of her crushes. Yeah there was no way, no how that she had a crush on Daryl. It was ridiculous really, he was like what?

What was his age?

Beth rubbing her chin lightly with her short, blunt thumb nail as she peered over to Daryl, his head was turned to look on his left then came back scanning to the right looking for walkers. He did look older but they all sort of did, didn't they? This world had literally aged a few of them that's for sure so it wasn't so hard to believe that Daryl was younger than he looked plus smoking like he did didn't help him in the looks department either. Was it possible that he was younger than his looks suggested? Even so why did it matter? Beth shook her head trying to push the thoughts from her mind.

Right now was not the time to have this type of feelings especially when she knew for a fact that he would never return her feelings. The only person she thought he would was probably Carol…

Beth frowned in thought. Where was Carol? She had been in confinement with Judith at the time and hadn't seen Carol after she got out either, it was like she up and disappeared out of nowhere. Was she even at the prison when everything went down? "Daryl." He glanced over at her then nodded for her to go on. "Where's Carol?"

She didn't miss the slight halt in his step before he continued on acting as though he was thinking. He knew where she was didn't he?

"Dunno…she won't at the prison when…she won't at the prison…" Daryl mumbled out awkwardly trying his best to not mention her father's death and such. Beth stared at him meaningfully waiting for him to go on but he didn't.

"But ya know what happened to her, dontcha?" Beth inquired trying to resist putting her hands on her hips in annoyance. Why wasn't he just telling her?

"Fuck Beth whatcha want me ta say? I dunno what she got up ta." He flung his arms out exasperated, well that made two of them.

"Yeah, but ya know why she wasn't there and I wanna know. Now!" Beth stopped walking with a stomp of her foot and then crossing of her arms. She fixed a glare on his back trying to burn a hole into his back. Daryl stopped walking then slowly turned around to face her, his face was in hard lines and it looked kind of painful with his face still mostly swollen.

"Rick told her ta git!" He barked back keeping his arms dropped by his sides. She gave him a quizzical expression furrowing her brow down in thought.

"Why would Rick tell her that? That doesn't make any sense." Sighing almost like he as in defeat Daryl rubbed the back of his neck drawing his eyes to the ground instead of on her person. Beth felt like she was about to be told something pretty major, something only Rick and Daryl knew. She braced herself.

"Look…ya know Rick was investigatin' Karen and David's deaths right." She nodded starting to make the connection before he could finish. "He confronted Carol 'bout it and she confessed that she killed 'em. She didn't care if they could come back from it; she killed 'em ta save us from 'em turnin' inta walkers…" Beth slowly shook her head looking down to the ground while blinking rapidly.

"What…what, that doesn't make any sense Daryl! There's no way she would do that! It's Carol we're talkin' about here!" Daryl only stared at her grimly like he believed what Rick told him. "Daryl! Ya know Carol better than anyone; ya know she wouldn't do such a thing!"

"I…I dunno Beth. I got nuthin' ta say but I believe Rick. Why would he lie?" Beth knew he was making a good point but she just couldn't wrap her brain around Carol doing something to horrible. Sure she was all for keeping the group safe but to go as far as to murder and burn those two? She couldn't believe it, she wasn't sure she would even if she heard Carol say it herself.

"What…what if she's coverin' for someone?" Daryl shrugged one should bringing one hand to grip the strap of his crossbow tightly. Absentmindedly Beth noticed he had it rigged with the same arrow she killed the hunter with, that must have sucked ripping that out of his skull.

"Well if she was than she was a damn fool. No one's worth takin' the stick like that." He then turned around leaving Beth to silently follow after him.

Could Carol have been covering for someone? Daryl didn't want to think about it. He had stressed about it so much after Rick had told him to the point that he really believed that Carol had done those two in. Beth put out a compelling argument but the fact is that Carol confessed Rick had nothing to gain from lying so it was a moot point.

Still he hoped she was right…

It was bordering mid-day by the time they got to the creek. Beth sighed happily bending down to scoop water into her hands and splash it on her face, the heat of the day was becoming unbearable. Daryl followed after her splashing water on his face; he wasn't taking to the heat very well either having his face swollen felt worse with the humidity. His face hurt, burned and itched. Beth stared at him worriedly but he ignored it.

"You should really take those pain meds for your face." She advised lightly trying to not piss him off. During their walk she had more or less bugged him about taking the meds and he flat out refused.

"I'll take 'em when we git ta the car." He grumbled back shooting her a look that stated 'end of discussion'. Beth bit her lip trying not to pout. "By the way why the hell didja leave the car?"

She stopped pouting (couldn't help it) and thought about what he said, what was he talking about? "Hmm…oh I…" Beth twiddled her fingers together feeling a blush bloom on her cheeks, "I thought I heard Judith crying…the fever had me hearin' things." Daryl nodded pensively staring down at the clear, glistening water of the creek.

"Well shit I can't blame ya fer thankin' ya heard asskicker. I woulda gone runnin' out too." He tossed a light smile her way but it didn't really comfort her if that was what he was going for. Honestly she felt stupid running out like that, leaving without a clue as to what was out here or if Judith really was here. There were many things she had done to be considered stupid and this one topped the list by far.

"Yeah but I still caused ya so much trouble over nothin' but a delusion…" Daryl turned to see Beth with her eyes downcast gazing at the water much like he was.

"We're a team Beth, gotta be. Ya don't cause me trouble." Beth didn't seem to believe him but she did look up to connect eyes with him.

"Yeah, a team." Her voice sounded doleful but she did look like she was trying to push back any unhappy and sad thoughts from her mind. He stood up feeling his back pop along with his legs. "Damn, I'm gittin' old…" Beth turned to him with mischief clearly on her face, he felt even tenser now.

"So how old is Daryl Dixon?" She asked coyly jumping over the creek gracefully then smiled over her shoulder at him. He arched a brow in confusion, why the fuck does she wanna know?

"Why?" She merely shrugged her shoulders flinching slightly when she felt pain. She walked further ahead before she spoke again.

"Nothing really…just curious is all." Daryl snorted, curious his ass! He stepped over the creek to continue on with her by his side, he knew she was waiting for an answer and he had one ready too.

"Ever heard 'bout curiosity killin' the cat." Beth groaned his name clearly seeing where he was going with it. "Take that sayin' ta heart Beth."

Beth glared at the back of his head, she was gonna find out his age. Now it was a damn mission! Oh it was on!

Just like Donkey Kong!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: C**heesy ass joke is cheesy! Haha couldn't resist really. So I updated sooner cause I got the chapter done sooner and I know y'all are going crazy wondering what happens and so here ya go!

I didn't really know how to end this chapter or what it would really contain beyond the fight scene and such. In my plotting for this chapter they we're suppose to make a torch and walk back to the car where Beth kisses Daryl on the cheek goodnight. Instead we get all this. I say what I got here is better than my prewritten plot, I just randomly came up with the Carol bit and age bit, but the whole delusion conversation did come from my previous stuff. Though he was also going to ask about how she hid from the herd but I thought it didn't really need to be said, Daryl's a smart cookie I'm sure he figured it out.

Anywho hope y'all liked this chapter! Sorry Beth got bitten, couldn't resist that either! This is probably the worst of any injuries she sustains in my story I promise! Let me know whatcha think! Check ya later…

_**ALCzysz17**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Stronger**

**Chapter 9**

Once Daryl and Beth got back to the car they decided on staying there for two more days giving whoever from the prison enough time to make it to the site. After their conversation at the creek both had stayed quiet opting to be inside their own minds for the moment.

Beth had a few ideas as to how she was going to get Daryl to announce his age to her though she wasn't sure why it mattered, she guessed it was something to use up the time with. But as they sat there off in their own minds eating and drinking an odd blankness settled inside her gut. She hadn't wanted to think about it but her thoughts started to swirl around the hunter and that she had killed him. Really she figured it shouldn't bother her all that much, back at the prison she had to have shot at least one person during the little war but she hadn't seen it done nor bear witness to the dead body either.

She felt empty and hollow inside her chest as she remembered the slight pleasure she felt when the arrow went into the hunter's skull. Beth feared for Daryl's life and her own, she heard what he said he would do to her once he got rid of Daryl so it was more than justified that she kill him but feeling the immense pleasure in seeing him dead scared her. She never enjoyed killing walkers so finding some type of excitement in killing a living, breathing human being downright terrified her.

Would she end up like that very hunter? Enjoying killing others for the sake of killing?

Beth felt sick to her stomach so she lied to Daryl about being tired so she could lay down in the backseat without him worrying that she was still sick from the fever, this sickness was from herself not a fever. She wondered if Daryl ever felt like this, enjoyed taking another person out but feel guilty about it later? Probably not though, he was so strong and put together about this new life that it probably doesn't faze him anymore.

She thought about asking him but every time her mouth opened the words would die on her tongue leaving her with a hanging mouth and a thoughtful expression on her face. Luckily Daryl was never actually looking back at her during these times otherwise Beth would be utterly embarrassed but the fact that she couldn't get herself to speak to him about it made her feel dirty, like a monster, like that hunter…

Hopefully the feeling would go away.

Hopefully…

* * *

><p>Daryl started up the car with the wires hearing it resist starting up but after a moment of bitching and moaning the car roared to life. He could feel Beth curiously watching him from the passenger seat; her eyes were wide as she took in him as he turned the car on via hotwiring.<p>

"That is so cool." Beth admitted bashfully, a blush highlighting her cheekbones. He only shrugged lightly, it really wasn't anything special but he supposed he could teach her how at some point.

"When we gotta git a new car I'll teach ya how ta do this." Seeing the excitement on her face caused him to quirk a small smile back, it was nice seeing her looking better than before. Daryl had seriously thought he might lose her to her fever and even more so when the hunter appeared again.

"Great! Anything else you're willin' to teach me?" Daryl looked over to Beth to see the hopeful expression on her face; she was nibbling her lip underneath her top teeth gaining his attention out of nowhere. Shrugging off the strangeness he turned back to the wheel putting the car into drive and pulling out away from the shack.

"Trackin' wouldn't be such a bad idea ta teach ya." They bounced up and down as the car drove down the bumpy dirt path, in the corner of his eye he could see Beth holding the 'oh shit' bar as Merle had jokingly called it. Obviously trying to keep from jostling her injuries. "I could teach ya ta use my crossbow too, tho from the looks of that night ya seem to know yer way 'round it pretty well."

"Yeah…" Daryl frowned hearing Beth sound so apathetic when just a moment ago she was so excited. They cleared the dirt road finally entering a single lane highway, smooth driving at least. He glanced over at her to see her eyes glazed over, lost in thought. Beth looked sad and almost…guilty?

"Yah? Thought ya would be excited ta learn, Carl use ta always bug me 'bout it." He said grumpily trying to lighten the mood for her but she didn't seem to be catching on, hell she wasn't even paying attention to him now. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Beth blinked once before her eyes focused on the now, of course her face flushed in embarrassment and she smiled a tight smile towards him but he wasn't going to let her off that easily.

"What's wrong Beth?" Daryl made sure his tone was more authoritative so she knew he wasn't going to take any bullshit answer she might have cooking in her brain. It was a long drive to the second site and he didn't particularly want to spend it in silence. Beth looked down to her lap, her fingers picking at her jeans as she tried to think of something to tell Daryl, she still couldn't find a way to tell him what she was feeling.

It was stupid really letting something like this bother her, she should probably just get use to feeling this way anyway. Beth was sure this wouldn't be the first time she would have to kill another human being so dreading and agonizing over it would do little to no good especially for her emotional and mental health. "Beth." Her eyes shut tight at the tone Daryl spoke when he said her name.

"I feel guilty." She finally managed to spit out. She kept her eyes shut tight not wanting to look at him to see his reaction especially when she knew he was going to make her elaborate.

"Guilty? What for?" Daryl asked feeling rather perplexed. Why the hell should she feel guilty? His thoughts went towards her running out and getting captured but they had already discussed that and resolved it so obviously it was something else bothering her. Beth kept stalling though shrugging her shoulders then fiddling with her fingers and even sparing little glances his way as though hoping he would forget about all this. "Jesus Beth, just spit it out!"

"I feel guilty about killing the hunter alright!" Beth suddenly shouted loudly within the confines of the car startling him to swerve the car for only a second. Shit he almost had a heart attack. Wait what?

"Why the hell would ya feel guilty 'bout that? Bastard deserved it." Daryl mumbled out with a shrug, the hunter didn't deserve to live.

"Haven't ya ever felt like ya done something wrong? I mean I know he tried killing you and he would have done," Beth paused for a moment catching her breath tightly through her mouth, "unspeakable things to me but I just feel so awful how it all went down. Daryl I killed a man and I was happy about it!"

Daryl felt a frown crease his brow as he listened to her words. He knew what she was talking about but at the same time not so much. He tried to not think about that stuff, to keep it out of his mind. Out of sight, out of mind right? "Ya did what ya had ta do Beth, ain't no shame or guilt in that." She sniffed lightly rubbing her fingers at the corner of her eyes, wiping away frustrated tears.

"Then why do I feel so guilty?" Her voiced asked so softly, so defeatedly. Daryl's heart constricted at the sound as his hands gripped the wheel tightly.

"It's natural," he began trying to sort through his thoughts to produce something akin to helping her feel better, "to feel bad 'bout killin' someone, it ain't meant ta be easy. But ya gotta look at the bigger picture Beth. He wasn't innocent and we probably weren't his first victims either." He blew some air out of his mouth. "Sometimes ya gotta make the hard decisions, no matter what. Had ya not killed him I would be dead."

"Does it go away eventually? The guilt?" Daryl licked his lips focusing his eyesight on the road. Does it go away? For the most part he supposed yeah it did but there were a few that would still haunt ya, haunt him. Dale's face appeared in his mind, though it was a mercy kill and he had more guts than Rick to do it that didn't mean it was easy for him.

"Fer the most part yah, it does. Fer me I just try not ta thank 'bout it much, out of sight, out of mind and shit like that." Beth flicked her eyes up to his face then back to her fiddling fingers. He made a lot of sense and she was now starting to feel a bit better about what happened, sure she wasn't feeling a hundred percent but at the same time she wasn't feeling quite so guilty anymore either.

"Thank you Daryl." He only shrugged, his cheeks slightly reddening from her words, it seemed like she was constantly thanking him for this and that. Honestly he felt like he didn't do much in ways of helping her other than feeding her and surviving but if his shittily composed words somehow made her feel better than who was he to say otherwise.

For a good few minutes they sat in utter silence but it was comfort just letting the road go by them as Daryl drove. Beth propped her elbow on the panel of the door dropping her cheek into her open palm and stared out at the scenery flying by them. It was another hot day but they had the windows cracked to help ventilate and alleviate the heat inside. Beth pushed all thoughts of the hunter out of her mind, like Daryl had said, 'out of sight, out of mind' and though it was easier said than done she found that after talking with him it was much easier than when she had kept her feelings inside.

The silence in the car though comfortable was bothering her so she decided to keep the conversation between them going especially since Daryl seemed so forthcoming with talking.

"How long till we get to the second site?" Beth asked lightly staring straight ahead of them, there were a few cars on the road but not enough to keep him from driving and there were even a few walkers mulling about but nothing that would interrupt their drive.

"I reckon 'bout a day maybe day and a half. 'pends on what we encounter long the way." Daryl relaxed more in his seat leaning back from his straight back seating and letting the tension in his shoulders slightly drop but not entirely, always on the guard. He dropped his right hand from the steering wheel to his thigh while his left hand took over the wheel sitting right at the top. Beth shifted in her own seat getting a bit comfort as well.

"Do you think anyone will be there?" She couldn't help but ask, she hoped beyond all hope that there was someone there that came from the prison, anyone. She felt a bit disappointed that no one showed back at the first site but since it was pretty out of the way to begin with they had both assumed no one was going to show. Glancing to Daryl's face she could tell he was trying to think of something to say that wouldn't hurt her feelings, the man had no sense of hope whatsoever she had come to realize. Good thing she had enough for both of them. "Be honest."

Daryl snorted. "Honestly then, I don't know. Ya can hope and pray if ya want ta but at the end of the day we won't know till we git thair." Beth nodded not letting his less than optimistic words keep her from hoping for the best.

"You're right, we won't know till we get there but I do hope at least someone's there though. Maggie, Glenn, Rick or Michonne, anyone of them would make me happy. I just wanna know if anyone else had made it out ya know." She watched as Daryl scrubbed his free hand over his face as he nodded his agreement, he looked tired. She wondered how well he slept last night; at least his eye was looking much better than it had before.

"Yah I know."

"It's the anxiety and the not knowing that really bothers me. I feel like I'm constantly anxious and jumpy when I think about them, especially when I think about Judith." Beth sighed wistfully thinking of the sweet baby's face and the last time she had seen it. The thought that Judith had been eaten or killed rattled her to her very soul.

"I'm sure someone has her, she ain't dubbed Lil' Asskicker fer nuthin'." She knew Daryl was trying to be uplifting but she just wasn't feeling it at the moment. She wanted to hope for the best for everyone but at the same time like Daryl said she wouldn't know till she saw proof of them living, till they got there.

How long had it been since the prison had fallen? A week maybe more?

Time just didn't have the same relevance that it use too, it was so hard to keep track of. Even fighting with the hunter had seemed so long ago now, Beth wondered if her memories would continue to lose detail and become muddled in her mind. As awful and heartbreaking as it is she could barely remember her mother's face or even her brother's. Was that normal? She wasn't sure she wanted to know either way. The fact that she was eighteen and her memories were already fading with time scared her, would she start forgetting her sister's face if they don't come around soon?

What would she do if that happened?

"Daryl. Do you ever feel like your memories are getting fuzzier?" She turned to him for guidance. He glanced her way but kept his eyes on the road, it was getting worse with more cars on the road so now he had to slow down to avoid any type of collusions.

"Well I ain't young so yah my memories have gotten a bit faded overtime but that's normal." He chanced another glance at her. "Why?"

"I just feel like everything that's happened is growing fuzzier in my memories, like this whole week for example." Daryl instantly shook his head.

"Beth ya been shot with a fever right after long with bein' bitten and takin' meds for the pain. Course yer memories are gunna be fuzzy, ya ain't exactly had the right sense of mind." Beth blushed with wide eyes as she realized what he said was true. She felt a bit dumb for not even thinking that but still…

"I feel like I have a hard time bringing up my Mama's face or even my brother's."

"Don't be worried, I can barely 'member my Ma's face and she's been dead since I was little, younger than Carl is now." Beth blinked once in surprise openly staring at him. She hadn't known that little tidbit about Daryl.

"I'm sorry." He, as always, shrugged her off.

"Don't be, she done it to herself anyway." Beth wanted to ask him what he meant but at the same time didn't want to be intrusive either. "Don't matter no how, she's gone, my Pa's gone, and my dumb ass brother's gone. It's all in the past."

Daryl coughed at the end trying to hide the bit of strain in his voice. He hadn't meant to talk on about it, meant to shut the hell up but his mouth just kept going without consent from his brain. He could feel Beth's eyes boring a hole into the side of his head but he focused on the road instead, he didn't want to talk about it.

"Ya know in my hallucination when I heard Judith's voice…I heard my Daddy's too." Beth wanted to get off the topic of his dead family but she hadn't exactly meant to bring up hers either. She bit the side of her tongue. "I had already run into the woods and was getting deeper and deeper in when I heard his voice. He said, 'Bethy, what are you doing out here?' and I thought for sure he was still alive too. If it wasn't for the creek I fell into I would have kept running like a lunatic or something."

"Good thang ya didn't."

"Yeah, honestly I think in my mind I produced the voice of my Daddy to get me to realize what I was doing, guess it backfired though. I mean I should have known ya know? I watched him…die…" Beth felt her eyes water but held them at bay, no more crying over this. It needed to be shoved into the past.

Seeing the obvious distress on her face Daryl gulped, he didn't know what to say and this time he had no word vomit to rely on either. Thinking better of it he lifted his free hand reaching over to touch her shoulder and give it a squeeze like Carol had done for him or Rick. It wasn't much but it did give him some comfort, at least it was comfort in knowing others were there. His hand touched her shoulder and gently squeezed it. Beth hissed in pain causing Daryl to realize his mistake too late.

Fuck, he forgot all about her bullet wound!?

Daryl pulled back his hand quickly, he should have thought even better of doing this, it all backfired. "Shit sorry."

Beth winced at the pain but quickly caught his hand in hers holding it firmly in her grasp so he wouldn't pull away. She turned his hand around in her own so they were clasped together though loosely on his part, for a moment she thought about lacing their fingers through each other but that seemed too intimate. Still a blush entered her cheeks coating them a rosy red as she squeezed his hand in hers.

"At least I know that I can count on you to be there for me, to be by my side." She smiled brightly at Daryl looking awfully cute with that blush and her disheveled hair.

Daryl braved a glance between her sweet smile and bright face to their joined hands. Seeing them touching like that caused a light dusting of a blush on his own cheeks and his heart rate to jump. Slight tingles raced down his arm at the sight and feel of her soft hand inside his callused one. Quickly though he yanked his hand back forcing it to cling to the steering wheel as though it were his life line.

Beth frowned at the sight of seeing Daryl so tense after holding his hand, she glanced down at hers still hanging there before slowly dragging it back to her lap. Little tingles ran through her nerves, it was the same as when he looked her from head to toe two days earlier. The fingers of her other hand lightly rubbed the center of her palm trying to rub away the tingly feeling in them. She hadn't felt like that since she was in school and that was usually around her crush when they accidently touched each other or he looked at her. Even Jimmy had caused this reaction from her.

Did this mean she has a crush on Daryl?

That just seemed weird; he was so much older than she was, much more worldly too. She knew he had been around in more ways than one while she was sweet little innocent Beth Greene. Hadn't done much more than kissed a boy, well aside from a little bit of touching from Zach when he was still alive but that was it. Would Daryl even be interested?

Beth didn't think so. She wasn't really his type she supposed and she had always thought Carol and him had something going on but after seeing his sort of lack of reaction towards her abrupt banishment she guessed they didn't have anything between them; at least nothing more than being best friends like he was with Rick. It made Beth wonder if Daryl had slept with anybody since the world was taken over by walkers, that sort of thinking made her blush so red she could match a tomato. It was none of her business what he did behind closed doors anyway.

But it did make her wonder and she would be lying to herself if it didn't make her a tad jealous if he had. Beth forced herself to disperse any and all thoughts regarding Daryl in a romantic sense from her mind, now was not the time to be thinking this or considering it either. What would Maggie say? That right there helped to stop those thoughts real fast, Maggie would not approve, at all…

For most of the drive they talked very little, Beth stating this or that as they drove on passing more cars and even going through a small town that took less than a minute for them to exit. Daryl spoke very little back though, only grunts and grumbles barely a sentence in all which frustrated her. They had already been through so much yet he couldn't open his mouth and speak a little more freely with her. She knew she couldn't change him but she wished he would be more forthcoming with his answers. The ride in all wasn't entirely uneventful, Daryl had even pointed out they were making great time and would possibly make it to the second site before nightfall.

It was nearing late afternoon by the time they stopped for a restroom break. Daryl hollered at her to not go far and she waved him off waddling into the nearest trees to pee, thank goodness she had taken care of number two before they left. Beth hated that she had to get use to wiping her butt with a leaf but there were much worse things she would have to do than poop in the forest so she kept her complaining to a minimal. When she came back though she gasped at the sight of Daryl taking a wiz not too far from the car, she only knew what he was doing because she could hear him peeing though he kept his back to her.

"Daryl Dixon!" Beth called out blushing from head to toe; he only glanced at her over his shoulder with a 'fuck off' expression. "Can't hear ya I'm peein'!" He called back turning away from her. Beth felt her jaw drop then turned away from him to go into the car.

Once he got in he gave her a cheeky grin then put the car into drive. "Couldn't ya have at least hid in the woods?" Beth commented lightly still retaining her blush.

"Nah, ain't like ya seen anythang." Beth puckered her lips in a pout crossing her arms over her chest as they drove on.

"What if I did?" Daryl gave her a passing glance as he merged into another lane.

"Then ya might have liked what ya saw." Beth's jaw dropped again then snapped shut when Daryl chuckled at his joke. Where was this humor coming from? He wasn't known to crack jokes like this often, he must be in a pretty good mood. She guessed it was because they were making such good time.

"Never knew you had a sense of humor."

"Jus' feelin' good." Daryl stated lightly, a small smile gracing his lips as he stared at the road. "We got maybe an hour or less till we hit the next site." Beth felt the excitement in her stomach well up into her chest. It wouldn't be too long before they got there and see who was there and all. She hoped someone was there, at least one person if any.

"That's great, I'm tryin' not to get my hopes up in case no one's there but I can't wait to get there." Daryl nodded agreeing with her statement.

"Thair'll be a bridge comin' up and once we're over that we'll be thair in no time." Just as he said it they could both make out a bridge further up, more excitement bubbled in her tummy and her smile spread wide as they got closer.

Daryl was feeling pretty amped too; ready to see how everyone was doing but at the same time like Beth had said he didn't want to get his hopes up for nothing. Nothing was more depressing than being excited to see people ya care about only for them to not be there. The closer they got the heavier he pressed on the gas pedal, wanting to get there faster.

If it wasn't for Daryl's quick reflexes they might have just died.

"Shit!" Daryl cursed loudly slamming on his brakes causing the car to skid to a stop just before the bridge abruptly ended. Beth grunted from her seatbelt slamming her back to her seat, both wounds on her shoulders winced in pain more so her bullet wound than the bite did. "Ya a'right?"

"Aside from getting choked yeah, just fine." Beth said softly clicking off her seatbelt to release her from the tightness. Daryl followed suit then stepped out of the car, he barely walked two steps before the bridge dropped down into the water beneath them. He could make out the huge chucks of concrete sticking out of the water since it wasn't that deep here probably up to his chest; he knew though it got deeper the further down ya went. "Wonder how this happened?"

"Won't like this two weeks ago, some asshole must of blown it up." Beth felt unease at the thought of someone having the ability to blow up a bridge like that; it had to have taken a lot of explosives.

"Why don't we backtrack, shouldn't be too hard." Daryl shook his head.

"It ain't that easy, it'd take us way outta our way. It would take us much longer ta git thair." Beth frowned as she thought of what they could do. As much as she wanted to get there faster it would make more sense to take another way around even if it took longer. Staring down at the water and seeing the chucks of concrete sticking out an idea formed in her head. "What if we crossed over on the slabs of concrete?"

Daryl looked at her like she was crazy. "I'm serious! The current isn't too strong and it would keep us on track, we would just have to walk the rest of the way." Daryl rubbed a hand to his chin in thought as his eyes gazed over to the water. She had a point, from here he could see that the current wasn't very strong though as he looked further down it did get stronger but it wasn't like they were going to swim across. With Beth's shoulder injuries they couldn't risk getting them wet.

"Can't believe I'm considerin' this." He mumbled out wedging his thumb between his teeth. What if one of them slipped? Or if they slipped onto concrete? There were many things that could go wrong but he had done much worse and at this point if they backtracked it would take them three or four days, even longer if they came across trouble. "A'right," Daryl huffed out looking over the hood of the car to Beth, "we go across but I go first and we take it slow, got me."

"Gotcha." Beth nodded. They both went back into the car pulling out their packs. Beth tried to shrug off the slight ache in her shoulders as the pack applied pressure to them, she would be fine.

Daryl led the way down the hill towards the river underneath. The water was calmer on one side while it started raging on the other causing concern in his head but he had already consented to doing this, he would just make sure they stuck closer to the calm side in case one of them slipped in.

"I'll go first, follow my steps and do as I do." Daryl instructed sternly then proceeded to step on the first slab of concrete, it shifted a little under his weight but stayed stable, he then went for the next one that was cocked more at a sharp edge like a triangle so he used another chuck to keep steady.

Beth waited for him to get another step further before she joined him following his steps just as he did them, none of the slabs shifted under her weight luckily and they were slowly but surely making it across the river. The blonde glanced between the raging water on her right to Daryl's back in front of her and then her own feet to follow him. She was nervous but so far so good.

A cock of a rifle sounded off causing them both to stop. Daryl cursed under his breath as he took in three men and two women on the ground in front of him. He was only a few chucks of concrete away from getting to stable ground. He heard Beth gasp at the sight but he made sure to stay in front of her in case they started to open fire. Slowly he raised his hands up in surrender.

"Go back where ya came from!" The man with the rifle yelled out aiming his gun at them. Daryl kept his hands raised hoping they would take pity on them; they couldn't exactly go back the way they came at this point.

"We mean no harm; we're jus' tryin' ta git across." His voice carried out over the rushing water and he noticed one of the women whispering something to the man with the rifle but he shook his head at her words.

"Turn back now or I'll shoot!" Beth felt cold at his words and she was sure to be pretty pale too, something told her this guy wasn't joking with them and at this point she just wanted to turn back. They were better off taking the long way over being shot at.

"We can't go back!" Daryl yelled out almost angrily, his hands shaking from said anger.

"I warned ya!"

Beth flinched at the sound of the rifle going off and hearing a grunt from Daryl then suddenly he was falling towards the right and off into the river. She barely looked at the group, barely took in anything else as her eyes honed in on Daryl struggling to stay afloat. Then without further thought Beth dove into the water…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Y**ep another cliffhanger! So to the guest reviewer who wondered if Beth killing the hunter would be brought up, well it did and I had always intended for it to in the next chapter. Some things need to settle in your mind first before ya really think them over. Hope y'all liked the interactions between these two, I know I did!

Can anyone guess where I got the peeing thing from?! Lol, one of my fave episodes! Hope Daryl didn't seem out of character though; I wanted something light after the whole conversation earlier.

The lesson in this chapter is – patience is a virtue. Lol.

So tomorrow I get my first tattoo! It'll be on the back of my left shoulder, it's the Libra sign holding the scales (another Libra thing). For me it not only means that I'm a Libra (Oct.21st y'all!) but the scales also represent me always trying to balance the good and the bad, to find my equilibrium in life. I'll post my avatar/picture thing as my tattoo once it's done, wish me luck cause I know it's gonna hurt like a bitch! Lol.

Check ya later…

_**ALCzysz17**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Stronger**

**Chapter 10**

_Then without further thought Beth dove into the water…_

Icy cold water soaked and drenched her entire body as Beth dived head first into the water. She quickly swam back to the surface gasping for air and looking around for Daryl as the current pulled her quickly downstream. She heard a few gun shots but kept moving her arms, ignoring the crazy people behind her. Hopefully the fact that she hadn't gotten hit by one bullet indicated how bad of a shot that guy was. She had no idea where Daryl was shot but she hoped it wasn't in a bad place. Beth could barely make out Daryl further ahead so she kicked her legs harder pushing along with the current to speed up to him.

A few years of being on the swim team in both middle and high school were now becoming quite handy. She propelled herself forward with her arms and legs moving in sync though both of her shoulders were complaining from the use and the water. The pack on her back did nothing to help her, it only hindered her progress but she couldn't afford to lose it either. The water was so cold, and the days were only getting cooler, though today was a hot one it did nothing to warm her up as she swam. Beth coughed up the water splashing into her face and raging around her, the current was picking up more.

"Daryl!" Beth shouted out as her head bobbed out of the water, her vision was slightly blurred from the constant water in her face but she could still see his dark head further up, the current was taking him faster downstream.

Beth cursed in her head and ignored any and all pain within her body, she ducked into the water rotating her arms in front of her and pushing the water aside and behind her. Her legs burned as she kicked harder, trying to skim through the water faster. After about five seconds Beth popped up above the water to see she was closing the distance between her and Daryl.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins giving her a much needed boost towards him, and then her arms were sliding down around Daryl's arms pulling his head up above the water. Hearing him gasp for air relieved the fear in her chest that he might have already inhaled too much water. Beth could tell he was trying to keep afloat but was having some type of issue, probably where he got shot. Another bout of fear bloomed in her chest; they needed to get to dry land fast otherwise he might bleed out!

It was taking all of Beth's strength to keep both of them afloat and above the surface; both his and her packs were not helping including his damn crossbow that he maneuvered to the front of his chest. It had been almost two years since her last swim meet and she hadn't exactly been able to swim as much as she would have liked lately. The adrenaline boost was slowly ebbing away and soon exhaustion will hit her like going straight into a brick wall.

"Fuck!" Daryl called out trying to help her as much as he could manage against the current. It was too strong at this point. "Beth we gotta git ta shore! This river ends in a waterfall!" Beth choked on some water splashing in her face.

A waterfall!

No wonder the current was getting stronger. Beth kicked as hard as she could towards the right trying to reach the shore but the rapids were moving them too fast. How long ago had they dived into the water? When would they hit the end of the line? She didn't really want the last question answered.

"Daryl! We gotta kick together!" Once more water choked the air in her throat but Daryl seemed to have heard her because he started kicking with her towards the right and they were now getting some leeway.

Beth's legs were numb to the cold water but still burning as she kicked harder and harder against the current, slowly but surely they were getting closer to the shore. Daryl's hand grabbed at the soaked ground pulling away dirt and mud, Beth tried her best to get a hold of the shoreline but she couldn't do much with one arm wrapped around Daryl's body to help keep him above water. She then reached with him managing to snag her arm around a decent sized rock imbedded into the ground.

Daryl grabbed it as well helping to push her up onto solid ground. Beth grabbed his hands next trying to pull him up but he was far too heavy for her, being in water made it easier to manage his weight but without it and against gravity it was damn near impossible for her to get him out of the water.

"Daryl, use your legs!" Beth cried out tugging on his arms with her limited strength.

"I was shot in my thigh, I can't fuckin' feel my left leg!" Daryl yelled back grunting and trying to push himself up over the shore but it kept breaking away into the water under his weight.

"Damnit!" Beth didn't care for swearing, it felt dirty coming out of her mouth but at this point she would say just about anything if it would get him out of the water. "DARYL!"

They say when terrible things happen its like time slows and almost stops; ya get to see how the terrible thing happens but can't do anything to stop it. Beth just learned that was not entirely true and probably made popular from movies and TV shows cause watching Daryl's hands slip out of hers and sink into the water then be carried away by the rapids happened in almost a blink of an eye. There was no slow motion going on there, it happened in two seconds tops.

Beth shot up to her feet almost collapsing to the ground from the burning in her thighs and calves, she ran down the shore catching glimpses of Daryl as he came up to the surface for air and fought with the rapids but from the looks of it, it was a losing battle. Looking forward she saw the waterfall was only a few meters ahead, there was no way she could get Daryl out of the water or even close to shore before he went over.

"DARYL!" Beth screamed at the top of her lungs and then he was gone.

Her heart felt like it stopped beating, her mind felt numb and her blood ran cold. Daryl was gone.

Daryl was gone!

In her high school swim team Beth was best known for her dives over her swimming in general. She even helped the team win against quite a few others schools in the district because of her poise and technique. Well she hoped all those years of practice and winning awards meant something because she was going to need it. Beth hit the last bit of land before it dropped off into thin air then she swan dived down over the waterfall.

Air whipped by her freezing her already frozen body further, she was in mid-air for probably less than five seconds then Beth was breaking the surface of the water with her fingers tips and as fast as she dived over the edge of the waterfall she was encased within the water again. The blonde kicked her worn out legs breaching the surface for air, she whipped her head around looking for signs of Daryl but she couldn't find him. Her rapidly beating heart was starting to break, where was he!?

"Daryl!" Her voice sounded hoarse as she called out to him, also she could barely hear her own voice as the waterfall roared behind her. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes mixing with the water of the river and stinging her eyes red as she looked around, whipping her head from left to right hoping to find Daryl popping up to the surface. This can't be happening, she thought, there's no way Daryl's gone, there's just no way!

Suddenly something grabbed her ankle tugging her down. With her heart in her throat Beth went back under the water grabbing at the thing dragging her down only to feel a hand, a hand! Beth grabbed the hand pulling hard and kicking strenuously to get above the water. She broke into air first then pulled Daryl's almost lifeless body to the surface. He coughed some but he was barely breathing.

Beth somehow managed to get him to the shore again, and this time more level with the ground. Once she was up on solid ground again she grabbed both of his wrists and pulled with all her might dragging his body onto the shore. Immediately she flung both of their packs off of them then Daryl's crossbow before turning him on his side and patting his back as he coughed up more water. He coughed and hacked for a good minute or so trying to catch his breath.

"Daryl, are ya alright?" Beth knew that was a stupid question to ask, clearly he wasn't doing so hot but she needed to hear his voice, to be reaffirmed that he was there breathing and moving. Only a mere minute before she thought he was gone for good. Hearing him speak would just be another indicator that he was really here and it wasn't her imagination.

"As…fine as…I'm gunna…be…" Daryl breathed deeply as he spoke. She wasn't sure what to do now, her hands were shaking uncontrollably and as her nerves were finally starting to settle as the sudden feeling that she was going to puke came over her. Beth felt sick to her stomach over what just happened, she would think she would be in shock but the shock factor of this life had overloaded and disappeared long ago. Now she just felt nauseous.

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Beth whimpered finally dropping down to her hands as she bent over her knees, air gasping and puffing through her mouth as she tried to grasp some kind of balance within. The world felt topsy-turvy in her eyesight and she could feel the bale coming up her throat threatening to exit out her mouth.

"Breathe Beth, just breathe." Daryl reached over to pat her calf while getting his own breathing under control. He knew what they went through was crazy and scary but they needed to get their shit together, he was cold, hurt and they needed to vacate the area before those people show up and finish the job. His thigh was more than numb which was about the most fortunate thing at the moment because unlike Beth's bullet wound his bullet didn't go all the way through, it was lodged inside his thigh somewhere.

The fact that he hadn't keeled over yet told him the bullet hadn't hit a major artery but they needed to get it out, he was already feeling quite light headed from lack of air, probably also from blood loss too.

"Beth, we gotta go." He was starting to feel like the whole 'Beth we gotta go' was becoming his motto or something. Every time shit hit the fan lately that became his go-to statement for them, it did the job though. Beth reacted and got her shit together; even now she was breathing softly and pulling herself back together, at least long enough for them to get out of here.

"Okay, yeah right. C'mon."

It was slow goings but Beth's efforts to help Daryl finally got him to his feet with her under one arm and practically taking all of his weight upon herself. He tried to walk on his own but putting any amount of weigh on his left leg resulted in him tumbling back to the hard, unforgiving ground. He could tell she was struggling with his weight but she didn't complain, just dealt with it and they made their slow pace into the woods with their packs on their backs and his crossbow in his right hand.

"How far should we go?" Beth finally asked after a few minutes of silence. Daryl's head was starting to feel awfully fuzzy; he shook his head trying to clear it away.

"As far as I can go 'fore I drop." That wasn't very comforting, Beth thought but she nodded and they kept moving. They only made it a few more minutes before his breathing became more labored and as she peeked up at his face saw that he was looking paler than normal. "Okay we're stopping."

"Nah, keep goin'." Daryl persistently mumbled trying to walk further on but once she stopped he couldn't go any further without her. "Damnit Beth, we ain't got time!"

"Daryl, you're going to keel over! We're stopping!" Beth stomped her foot then proceeded to help Daryl down to the ground though he cursed and grumbled the whole way. She helped prop him against a tree trunk after helping to take his crossbow and pack off, she followed after with her own pack digging through the soaking mess to find the meds they still had. "Here, take these." She instructed him as she handed over the meds with a bottle of water; they were getting rather low on water.

Daryl took both without complaining, for once. After a moment of staring at him, Beth sighed tiredly.

"Daryl, I gotta look at your wound." She dreaded doing this for two reasons.

One, she didn't want it to be real and seeing the possible bleeding hole in his thigh would prove to her that he was really shot.

And two, Beth wasn't sure if Daryl was a boxers or briefs man, or a commando type. She hoped for her sake he was wearing something more underneath.

She waited and watched as Daryl wrestled with his wet jeans after unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning them, they fought with him as he wiggled his hips to ease them down. Beth sat there and watched him, she thought of offering help but she knew he would decline any such help. He wouldn't accept it unless he asked, so prideful. It took him longer but eventually Daryl managed to get the damn jeans down to his ankles and luckily for Beth he was wearing boxers.

Well that solved the mystery.

"Yer lucky, usually I don't wear anythang." Beth gulped at the thought then upon looking into Daryl's face and seeing the weak smile on his lips she snorted. He was fucking with her, of course.

"Yes, I'm so very lucky…" The blonde mumbled out finally placing her eyesight on the bleeding wound in his thigh. It was closer to the inside of his upper thigh which resulted in Daryl having to push up the boxers for her to get a better look at it. Beth quickly checked her pack for some type of shirt or clothe to help wipe away the blood but she knew they hadn't picked up any clothes or anything else. Frowning she looked on herself then shrugged her shoulders. "Guess this will have to do."

Beth lifted the first tank top, the blue-ish one and ripped a good strip, folding it up then started to wipe at his wound. Daryl hissed at the initial touch but then afterwards didn't say a word. As she investigated his wound she started to notice that it hadn't gone all the way through, the bullet was still in there. Fear bubbled in her tummy again and the nauseous feeling from before came back with a vengeance.

"Daryl, the bullets still in there ain't it?" She knew it was a rhetorical question but Beth felt like maybe if he confirmed that it wasn't or was there she would feel more assured of the situation they were now in.

"Yep, it's still thair." Beth released an unsteady breathe gripping the clothe in her hand tightly, his blood starting to stain her skin. "Yer gunna have ta dig it out." Her head snapped up to see his eyes starting to droop and become unfocused. It could be from the meds, but she felt it was more from the blood loss.

"With what?" Beth whispered shakily, feeling like she was seconds away from becoming hysterical. Daryl slowly shook his head letting it lull over to the right loosely, he was barely keeping it together.

"Dunno…figure it out…" His voice came out softly then his eyes shut and he was out. Beth stared hard at him as everything settled in her mind. She wildly looked around them then pulled apart both of their packs trying to find something that she could use.

Using Daryl's knife would be an idea but it was much too big and would cause more damage than anything else, probably result in him dying from blood loss. Suddenly she remembered her small pocket knife she kept in her right boot, Beth couldn't kick her boot off fast enough to produce the small pocket knife. She flicked it open to see the small, sharpen blade with droplets of water glistening all over it.

"I can do this. All I have to do is pull the bullet out an-and cauterize the wound like Daryl did for me." Thinking back on her own wounds the blonde took a quick moment to check her shoulders to find both looking as good as they were ever going to be though her bitten shoulder looked waterlogged and irritated, still she would live. Beth then checked Daryl's pockets for his trusty lighter hoping and praying that it wasn't washed out and unusable.

She located it in Daryl's butt pocket, she lifted the top off then flicked the wheel but it didn't light up. A sense of panic came over her as she did it two more times and nothing happened. Beth brought her hands up to her face pushing back her wet hair then stared up at the sky and canopy overhead. The thought that she should pray came over her as tears welled in her eyes. Maybe if she prayed something good would finally happen for them. Beth hadn't done it in so long, she almost wasn't sure she knew how to do it right.

And even if she did pray would it be just like all the other times before back at the farm? Would her prayers go unanswered and leave her even more unsure and torn down? At this point Beth wasn't sure she could handle anymore disappointment.

Sighing she turned her sights back on Daryl still unconscious, his tanned skin looking much paler than before. If she didn't do something now then he was going to die, there was no other way around it. Beth glared down at the lighter in her hands. "Please work. I really need ya to work, if not for me than for Daryl." Beth couldn't believe she was speaking to the lighter, maybe all the stress was getting to her?

She kept whispering, "Please work," as she got ready to flick the lighter on again. With bated breath the blonde placed her thumb on the wheel then flicked downward hard and fast. A little spark happened giving her the hope she was lacking only moments before. She flicked the wheel again and a bigger spark happened, smiling in relief Beth tried once more time.

The relief that engulfed her when the lighter produced a flame made her just a bit light headed for a moment. The tears that had welled up in her eyes spilled over as she clenched them shut. With renewed hope Beth found the strength to get the job done.

Sitting on her knees over Daryl's prone body Beth channeled her father as she placed a hand on his knee and the small blade towards the slowly bleeding wound. She hoped Daryl would stay knocked out but with the pain he was about to feel he could very well wake up. Fear made her right hand holding the blade shaky but she crushed the emotion inside, it was now or never. A sharp intake of breath and deep, guttural groans echoed from Daryl's mouth as Beth dug the blade into the wound. He kept still for her, better than she had for him but his thigh quivered in pain.

"You're doin' great Daryl." Beth said encouragingly just as she pulled the knife out and stuck her thin index finger into the wound to feel for the bullet. Daryl cursed violently but kept still though in her peripheral vision she could see his hands balled into tight fists. Hot blood poured out of his wound drenching her hand and his thigh in the dark, red sticky substance. Her stomach churned uncomfortably at the sight and smell. "Almost there."

Beth felt the bullet with her finger tip and pushed even deeper in to get underneath it and pull it out. From what she could feel it felt like the bullet was still whole, not broken apart like Carl had to endure. Had that been the case Beth wasn't sure she could save Daryl's life. Thinking about Daryl dying wasn't helping her in the least so she pushed aside those thoughts for now, just staying in the here and now as she slowly pulled the bullet up the hole in his thigh.

"Fuck, Beth." Daryl groaned painfully, his voice sounding so rough and full of pain it damn near broke her heart upon hearing it. He sounded weak and nothing like he normally sounded.

"Just 'bout there." Beth gasped as she almost lost the bullet back down in his thigh but somehow managed to keep it in place. Rushing was not going to help either of them, so she breathed out slowly then started once more tugging and pulling the bullet 'til it was out and in her hand.

Quickly she dropped the bullet to the ground and pressed the clothe she ripped from her tank top to the bleeding wound to try and clot the blood. She needed to stop the bleeding before she could even attempt to cauterize his wound. Beth pressed down hard even as he protested and whined in the pain, one of his hands suddenly dropped down on hers. She thought he was going to rip her hand away but instead he pressed down the heel of his hand on top of hers putting more pressure on the wound.

"I'm so sorry Daryl." Beth apologized softly as he hissed and moaned.

"It's…a'right Beth. Ya done good." His voice showed how tired he was and the tone of pain edged in his voice made Beth wince. She hadn't wanted to hurt him more than he already was and yet she had done just that.

"How do ya feel?" Daryl snorted at the question, cracking one eye open to observe her.

"Like I got shot in my leg, damn never thought anythang could hurt so damn badly…" Pangs of pain shot through his nerves in his right thigh; though as time passed by the pain slowly ebbed away it was still there though, aching within. He was surprised he had been able to keep conscious while she worked, but then Daryl figured there was no damn way he could go unconscious while feeling all that pain.

"We should let the blood clot first before I cauterize your wound." Beth stated softly staring down hard at his hand still clasped on top of both of hers. Her pale hands were coated in Daryl's blood, seeing the evidence of his wound and life on her hands was making her sick to her stomach. "I'm gonna go back to the river to get fresh water and then start a fire…"

Daryl could tell she was waiting for him to confirm it was alright, that he would be okay by himself for a few minutes. He felt extremely exhausted but he was sure he could stay awake for a bit longer. "Go on wit' ya, I'll be 'ere when ya git back." Beth nodded, pushing up to stand and sliding her hands out from underneath his. He pressed down hard on his wound to replace the missed pressure of her own hands.

"Promise?" Beth didn't want to sound so weak but seeing Daryl laying there, all pale like with blood all over his thigh and sweat on his brow…it just wasn't a pretty sight to see or encouraged her to leave him behind even for five minutes. He nodded though using his other hand to wave her off.

"Promise."

The trek back to the river wasn't as long as it had been when leaving; Beth supposed it was because she could move faster without Daryl's added weight and the suspense and tension of their situation had alleviated. The pot in her hand shook from her trembling and she all but dropped at the edge of the water, letting the pot fall to the ground beside her as she stuck her blood coated hands into the river. Her hands viciously washed away the blood, using her nails to scrub it all away hoping it would all be nothing more than a vague memory now.

Harder and harder she scrubbed 'til her hands were burning from her nails and felt raw underneath the water, only then did she pull them out to inspect them properly. Her hands slightly throbbed from the abuse and there were red nail lines all over the redden skin, but his blood was gone. Beth felt just a little bit relieved to have his blood gone from her hands, she didn't feel quite so terrified and hysterical.

Beth took a moment to stare at her reflection in the water, though blurry from the constantly moving currents she could see she wasn't looking any hotter than Daryl was. Her hair was in tangles and matted to her head while her eyes looked tired and she was carrying a long face too. All in all both of them had seen much better days than today.

Now that Beth was by herself though, everything that had happened came rushing back over her and quite suddenly it was hard for her to breathe. The tears she had wanted to cry so badly before came back and the blonde was barely able to withhold the sobs that wanted to escape her throat. That was way too close, much closer of a call than when she had been shot or the encounter with the hunter. The fear of losing Daryl was so engulfing it took Beth by surprise.

Sure she cared about Daryl, just as much as she cared about anyone of her family at the prison, but the compressing fear she had felt when he got shot and going over the waterfall…it was like she was losing a piece of her soul. It was just as much a physical pain as it was an emotional one when she thought he was gone. Beth couldn't quite figure out if it was the fear of being alone that brought such strong emotions out of her or something even scarier that regarded Daryl in a much different light than she had been seeing him in.

Beth dismissed her thoughts quickly, gathering whatever strength she had left to wipe away the tears and keep them at bay. Filling up the pot with water for both to drink, clean Daryl's knife with and to wash off the blood on Daryl as well, she started back off to him with her hands trembling still. She spilled some water during her walk back but was able to keep the majority of it inside the pot. As she got back to the little camp site they had going she could make out Daryl barely keeping awake, his head nodding to the side every few seconds before shaking himself awake.

"I'll keep watch; you can go to sleep, Daryl." He barely glanced up at her before outright passing out on her the very next second. Beth worried that he might have a concussion or even might not wake up but he deserved to sleep especially since he hadn't been sleeping that much lately.

Hopefully that decision doesn't come back to bite her, literally.

Beth got to work making a fire like she had been taught by her sister and more recently Daryl. She had to hold the pot above the fire for a few minutes to boil anything in the water so it was drinkable, but it was worth the aching and stiff arms. She felt like she was doing all this mechanically, like a robot going through the list in her mind without really feeling anything as she worked. She felt numb right now to everything around her.

She checked on Daryl periodically as she cleared up the little camp site and then checked their packs to see what survived the swim. Everything was drenched, but most of it survived getting wet. Beth reached over to grab the bottle of medicine to hear only one capsule inside. She pulled the bottle away to stare down hard at it as worries started to rattle around her brain. That wasn't nearly enough to help Daryl manage his pain, they would have to find more soon. The thought that she might have to go out alone to find it scared Beth.

Seriously if it wasn't one thing then it was something else, Beth thought. Today was turning out to be the worst day ever, funny how it had been nearing the best day they've had since the prison had fallen. Sighing deeply Beth leaned back against a tree trunk near Daryl and stared up at the sky as the day started nearing towards an end.

Beth wondered if she should pray…

Even if she did it wasn't like anyone was up there to listen anyway...

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><p><strong>AN: S**o that's chapter 10. Hope ya liked it! Very exciting in the beginning and stuff, I don't exactly know if there's a river in Georgia that has a waterfall but hey it's fanfiction so use your imaginations! Lol. So this ended up being mostly from Beth's POV over Daryl's, but don't get mad he'll be mostly taking over the next chapter. Let me know whatcha liked about this chapter!

Oh and my picture on my profile is my tattoo! It came out nicely, burned a little and stung a little but nothing I couldn't handle, having a high pain tolerance is a blessing it seems. Hopefully I can update soon and the next chapter will be a little more slow, giving these two some much needed rest.

**P.S- This chapter has not been beta read because I have yet to get the chapter back and I just can't wait any longer to post this. **

Check ya later…

_**ALCzysz17**_


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